Young and Old, Back and Bold
by Pey119
Summary: Nico is de-aged and sent back in time, becoming part of the wizarding world while he's still young. Will Hecate's plan work despite his lack of memories? For the sake of this story, Percy Jackson takes place during the same timeframe that Harry Potter does (canon pairings, complete)
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Hecate watched as the son of Hades walked into his cabin, the heavy door shutting behind him. The camp had been peaceful since the Giant War, but that didn't mean that the world was safe from destruction.

Wizards and witches. Myths to some, legends to others. A mistake to most of the gods. They let Hecate keep her pet world, but made sure to make it known that she should never have made it to begin with.

But she did. And one Halloween night, one wizard murdered the parents of the boy she had picked, the Boy Who Lived. One Halloween night, through the thunder and lightning, a prophecy was continued. The evil wizard disappeared, but he'd be back. And she knew what could happen if the Boy Who Lived didn't survive.

As Camp Half-Blood fell into darkness, Hecate made her move. A move that had been allowed by Hades only minutes before. Keep his boy alive, he demanded. Keep him alive if you want him to do this task.

So she made a plan, a plan that even a son of Hades couldn't mess up. A plan that would keep Harry Potter alive.

She appeared to the boy as soon as he closed the door, her green eyes lighting up her face. As soon as he saw who she was, he bowed before her. "Lady Hecate."

"Son of Hades, I have a quest for you." she looked down at him, tried to convince herself that she had made the right choice. "Have you ever heard of wizards?"

* * *

Deaged, back in time. Nico didn't know why he agreed.

Maybe it was because his father agreed to the quest, maybe it was still that goal to please Hades. But he left everything he ever knew behind. Hazel, Will. He had finally been happy...

Had he? Time had gone by, but Nico was still who he always had been. Campers were still afraid. He was the kid that killed Bryce Lawrence, he was the kid that dragged a soul out of a demigod.

He was the kid with a dead mother and a dead sister. A technical orphan. A demigod who had gone through too much for one of his kind.

Memories...Tartarus...

He wanted to forget. He wanted the nightmares gone, he wanted to start over. He wanted a normal life.

And this may, it turned out, be the only way. The right way, the safer way. This way, no one could be mad at him. No one could hate him.

Right?


	2. Chapter 1

_**AN: sorry for such a short chapter. It's more informing you more about what the story is going to be about before it actually starts. Next chapter will be an actual chapter, I promise**_

* * *

Molly Weasley knew what she was doing. She had seven children, after all. She knew when a child was truly in trouble and not faking it. She knew as soon as she saw that boy wandering around her property that he needed help. How he got there, she would never be sure.

He was around five years old, maybe the same age as her Ronald. Dark hair that hung in his face, a skinny frame beneath a large jacket that was meant to fit a grown man. Dark eyes rimmed in red, tears covering his pale face.

Malnourishment was written all over him.

Who could leave a child alone? Even though she had enough of her own, even though they may not have enough money, they took him in that day. Nico, he said his name was, after they had finished feeding him good and getting him calmed down. Nico, but he didn't know his last name.

It was a year later when they realized that he was also a wizard. Wandless magic seemed to come a little too quickly to the boy, quickly enough to cause some concern. But they wrote it off, tried to help him control it. He was just like their own son at that point.

When he was seven he still fought with his brothers. The twins had pranked him from day one, and Ronald himself didn't go anywhere near him. Nico scared him, he'd explain. He was creepy.

Since day one, he didn't mix with their family. But they kept him anyway.

Molly loved him like one of her own. She taught him with the rest of her kids, she fed him and clothed him. During the nights, she and Arnold would take turns helping the boy fall back asleep after one of his many nightmares. He didn't explain what they were about, but she could only wonder what had happened to him before she found him. Who had hurt a child so much to cause such horrible memories?

When they were nine, she found Ronald had gotten up to help Nico one night. Both boys were downstairs in the kitchen, feasting on cookies as they spoke in soft voices. For the first time, they acted like brothers.

It made her day, and when the sun rose, she saw that they had become closer.

They were eleven when they both got their Hogwarts letters. Both were excited, but she could see the anxiety in them. Nico didn't come out of his room all day.

Dinner rolled around and the boy still hadn't come out. Finally, she went to his room and knocked on the door. For any other kid, she would have just entered. But something about her relationship with Nico was different. "Nico, dear, you need to eat. You're skin and bones."

"I'm too tired," Nico replied. From the sound of his voice, he was sitting on the other side of the door. "Ron kept me up all night."

"And why was that?" she asked.

"Talking about Hogwarts." his accent kept changing, kept getting further and further away from hers. What it was changing into, she had no idea. "Ranting about what would happen if he didn't get in Gryffindor."

"That boy shares his thoughts a little too much." she agreed. "But you still need to eat. You've had all day to rest up. What else have you been doing in there?"

Nico took another minute before answering. "Thinking."

"About what, dear?"

"Something."

"It's always something." she stood for a minute before speaking again. "Would you rather tell Arthur?"

"No!" Nico quickly protested. "Please, no. I already told Ron. I'm not telling anyone else."

Molly took her wand out. "Come down to eat, Nico." Walking away from the room, went to find Ron to get out of him what Nico had told him.

When Ron told her that Nico was gay, she didn't quite believe him. Not until she started to put it all together. Even as an eleven-year-old, Nico never showed any interest in girls. Instead, he stared at each boy they saw.

And when she eventually took them to Diagon Alley for their school supplies, she noticed that he always stared at blond-haired boys, boys with light blue eyes. He still didn't know why, still hadn't seen Will in his nightmares.

But every sight of one of those boys sent familiarity down his spine. He stared, tried to figure out where he had seen it before. He tried to remember who he was before Molly Weasley had found him, but he couldn't.

Nico Weasley, eleven years old. It was who he now was. If he had a life before, he didn't remember.

And something in him wanted to keep it that way.


	3. Chapter 2

Nico pushed his trunk through the train station with nothing but anxiety coursing through his veins. Next to him, Ron looked around at the Muggles in awe. Why did he care so much? They were human, that's it.

Never did Nico imagine that he himself could be something besides human and wizard.

Muggles were everywhere, walking to their destinations with nothing more than ignorance of what was hidden in the train station itself. Behind a column they didn't look at twice, behind bricks they would never try to touch. Hidden beneath their noses, they never could imagine the red train already bustling with teenagers.

Nico found their ignorance amusing.

"Now, what's the platform number?" Molly asked.

"Nine and three quarters!" Ginny answered, holding her mother's hand. Nico never liked her much. "Mum, can't I go..."

"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet," Molly responded. "All right, Percy, you go first."

Percy. The name still sent shivers down Nico's spine.

Nico watched as Percy disappeared into the collum, keeping an expressionless face as Nico had learned to do. Why show your feelings when no one has earned them?

"Fred, you next," Molly said.

"I'm not Fred, I'm George." Nico could tell it was Fred who had spoken. "Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you tell I'm George?"

"Sorry, George, dear."

"Only joking, I am Fred." the twins left next, through the barrier and onto the platform. As it got closer to his own turn, Nico switched his weight from one foot to the other.

"Excuse me." Another boy came up, then, causing Nico's head to turn to him. Around his own age, with messy black hair and glasses.

"Hello, dear," Molly greeted. "First time at Hogwarts? Ron and Nico are new, too." She gestured to Ron and Nico, the later having hidden behind his counterfeit twin.

"Yes," the new boy replied. "The thing is-the thing is, I don't know how to-"

Nico zoned out of the conversation as he watched the boy from behind Ron's back. As they remained in the same area, feelings of dread and despair wormed their way into Nico's stomach. As the boy stepped closer, Nico had to stop himself from throwing up all over Ron.

Whoever this boy was, whatever that feeling was, it was coming from the forehead of the newcomer.

"Nico, come on." Ron snapped him out of his thoughts after the boy had disappeared from sight. Harry, his name was, if Nico heard correctly. "We're going to be late."

"Right." Nico glanced up at Molly. She gave him a reassuring look and a quick hug, her hand moving to rustle his hair. "Bye."

"Bye, sweetheart." she did the same to Ron before stepping back. "Now get going. Ron's right, you're going to be late."

They got onto the platform, saw that scarlet train. People swarmed around, wearing robes and Muggle clothing alike. As the twins told Molly it had been Harry Potter who had spoken to them, Nico glanced up at the train to see Harry quickly tuck his head away. Smirking, Nico looked back to the others. Of course, it had been Harry Potter.

Ginny started crying, they got on the train. It started to move and leave the platform behind. Ron led Nico through the train, eventually sliding open a door to reveal Harry Potter himself. "Anyone sitting here? Everywhere else is full."

Ron sat across from Harry while Nico sat next to the former, his knees tucked up to his chest as the train picked up speed. With his head against Ron's shoulder, he fell asleep as exhaustion settled over him.

 _Orange shirts, blue jeans. The scent of strawberries in the air. A pale face with hair the color of the sun and eyes the color of the sky. He could be described as hot, could be described as a surfer. His brilliant smile sent warmth through Nico's bones._

Then he woke up. No memories of the dream, no happiness left over. Now all he had was cold skin and sleepy eyes as he tried to make sense of what Ron had been saying.

"Time to change," Ron repeated, Harry having already started to. "If you don't hurry up we're gonna leave you behind."

Nico knew Ron would never leave him, or so he hoped, but jumped up to get dressed. Black robes over already black clothes, just as he liked it. Color was never to his liking.

A voice echoed through the train as he finished, causing Harry to look up. "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time! Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."

Nico looked over at his pale brother, scowling when he saw the two boys stuff sweets into their pockets. Had they not thought to share with him? With one last look of distaste, Nico parted from them and made his way into the corridor.

As he pushed through the crowd, he finally got onto a dark platform. Before long, Ron and Harry had found their way next to him.

They called for first years as the returning students went off a different way. The newest students followed Hagrid down a dark path, barely any voices ever being heard. Why was everyone so quiet? Nico found it hard to have true fear settle into him, and now wasn't one of those times. But something about the darkness made him uneasy.

The lake they stumbled upon was just as black as the night. Across from it, the castle rose up in all its glory. The lights were a bright sense of home, even if they hadn't stepped foot in the castle yet.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called out as he pointed to the boats themselves. Before Nico could move forward, Hermoine and Nevile had already followed Ron and Harry into a boat. With more reluctance and depression, he followed a couple of strangers onto another boat.

As soon as Nico sat in the boat, he felt himself grow uncomfortable from the waves beneath them. Were they supposed to be that strong in a lake? Were lakes even supposed to have waves? As they started for the castle, he prayed to whatever god he had learned about that he'd make it there safely.

"Look!" the boy behind him pointed to the dark water as the tail of a merman swam by. "Wonder what's got them agitated..."

 _Me,_ Nico thought, though he didn't understand why. Why would merpeople hate him? He was just another wizard, an orphan if anything. He hadn't done anything to them.

 _You aren't where you belong, son of Hades._ The voice seemed to vibrate through the lake, but as Nico looked around, no one else seemed to hear. _Turn back while you can. That's all I can do to try to get you back to my son._

His son... Nico looked down at the water, watched the mermen swim about. He had no idea who the voice was talking about, couldn't even think of a possibility. Could it... No, he didn't think so. His parents were probably dead. And they definitely wouldn't be talking from a lake of all places.

But still, as he looked down in the waters, he wondered why whoever it was didn't want him at Hogwarts.


	4. Chapter 3

_**AN: Poll still open to decide which house Nico will be in or you can comment on here your vote. The choices are Slytherin or Hufflepuff**_

* * *

They got to the castle just as the door swung open to reveal a witch with black hair and an even sterner expression than Molly when one of the twins blew a hole through Ron's tongue. And behind her, Nico got his first glimpses of the entrance hall. Torches lined the walls and made their way back to a staircase. The ceiling couldn't be seen.

Somewhere deep in Nico, he remembered going to a castle for school before. He could picture the dorms, could see the other boys around him. None of it made sense, none of it made him feel comfortable. But deep down, he knew the memory was real.

 _Of course, it's real,_ a female voice rang through the memory as it evaporated. _It was just as real as your sister._

Ginny? No, Nico barely counted her as a sister. As he turned to see who had spoken, he realized no one else seemed to have heard.

"Who are you?" Nico whispered as they followed the witch. "What do you want?"

 _There is much that I want, son of Hades. You're on the right track there._

Son of Hades... It was the same thing the voice from the lake said. Was that his original father? Who named their kid Hades?

"Nico, who are you talking to?" Ron whispered to him. "You look mad, mate."

"Sorry." Nico stepped away from his brother as he tried to disappear into the crowd. Of course, even his brother thought he was an outsider. Everyone always did.

As soon as those thoughts came, they vanished. He hadn't felt like that before, not even on the train. He had always felt accepted at home, even though he looked completely different, even though he was gay. He always felt like he was meant to be there.

Then school hit, and here he was in a mass of kids he knew nothing about.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall said as she started to explain the school and the different houses. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Nico had heard the stereotypes of each, tried to think what the Weasley's would do if he ended up in a bad house. Molly would pretend it was okay, the twins would never let it go.

Then she was gone, having excused herself to the rest of the school. As Nico watched, the rest of the First Years muttered amongst themselves in nervous anticipation. Even Ron and Harry looked as if they were about to face a hoard of drakons.

Drakons... What even were those? Shouldn't he have thought of dragons instead?

And then his feelings changed again. Shivers jolted down his spine, his chest ached as he felt death surround him, felt the feeling that something was wrong. As he looked, he saw the heard of ghosts stream through the wall. Most glanced at Nico as if they knew who he was, as if all their arguing was about him.

None said a word to him.

Professor McGonagall came back, and when she did the ghosts were gone along with the feelings of discomfort in Nico. He had always been sensitive to ghosts, he had realized growing up, but none had treated him like that. None had felt _so wrong._

"Now, form a line," McGonagall commanded. "And follow me."

So they did. Nico grabbed onto the back of Ron's shirt and stood behind him, his legs weighing heavy beneath him. Would everyone be watching? Which house would even take him? He was _Nico_. He was factually the odd one out.

An orphan.

The Great Hall was beautiful, was magnificent, but also triggered a memory deep within him. Candles floated above the students, who sat at four long tables. They were led by the teacher's table up front, in front of the entire school as an audience. Already, Nico hated the idea of a sorting.

He could see the ghosts in the crowd of students, could see their vapory forms and misty outlines. It made him sick.

"It's bewitched to look like the sky outside," Hermoine whispered, causing Nico to look up at the starry ceiling. "I read about it in _Hogwarts: A History._ "

Of course, she had. Nico didn't even know the girl, but he could tell right away she was Annabeth-like. It was written all over her face.

Annabeth... "Who is Annabeth?" he whispered to himself. He hadn't even heard the name before, let alone know anyone that went by it.

Nico looked over the hall, wondered what he was doing there. Wizards, witches. Where did he fit in? He looked to McGonagall, saw her put a frayed hat on a rickety stool. Was he the only one who didn't think they'd be placed in any house?

Even the hat singing didn't lighten the strange vibes running through his body.

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hate

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuff are true

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet is wise old Ravenclaw,

If you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning fold use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

The crowd burst into applause though the song hadn't impressed Nico a bit. In all honesty, it made him think twice about where he was. Something deep inside him told him he didn't belong, that even though he was a wizard he shouldn't be there. Not all wizards end up at Hogwarts, so why should he?

"So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered to Harry and Nico. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."

 _Like that'd ever happen_ , Nico thought, distracted for little more than a second at the thought of his family.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," McGonagall said. "Abbott, Hannah!"

 _I shouldn't be here, I shouldn't be here_. The thoughts raced through Nico's mind. _I shouldn't be here._

Harry got sorted, so did Ron.

 _I shouldn't be here._ "Weasley, Nico!" _I shouldn't be here._

He walked over to the stool, collapsed onto it as the hat was placed onto his head. _I shouldn't be here._

 _You shouldn't be here, son of Hades._

And with that, he passed out.


	5. Chapter 4

_You'd don't belong, son of Hades. You don't belong anywhere._

 _Nico, shut up! This is not your stupid Mythomagic game, okay? There are no gods!_

 _Yes, boy. You see, Bianca di Angelo is not the only one with_

 _an annoying brother. It's time for you to meet my irresponsible twin, Apollo._

 _Who wants us? Because if you think you'll get a ransom, you're wrong. We don't have any family. Nico and I- We've got no one but each other._

 _Come inside for cake and ice cream, it sounds like we've got a lot to talk about._

 _Um, no. Can't you just, like, tell it to open? You're the son of Hades and all._

 _You know what would help this boy? Farming._

 _Son of Hades. Do you love death so much you wish to experience it?_

 _My children are so rarely happy. I'd like for you to be an exception._

 _Child of Hades, what more could I do to you? You are perfect! So much sorrow and pain!_

 _You will suffer, son of Hades!_

 _Poor Nico di Angelo. Do you know what you want, much less what I want? My beloved Psyche risked everything in the name of Love. It was the only way for her to atone for her lack of faith. And you- what have you risked in my name?_

 _I scare you very, very much. Face me. Be honest._

 _Oh, I wouldn't say Love always makes you happy. Sometimes it makes you incredibly sad. But at least you've faced it now. That's the only way to conquer me._

 _Still hiding. You do not have the strength._

 _Nico, it's okay. I get it._

 _And so you run away again. From your friends, from yourself._

 _You were jealous of her. That's why you didn't want to be around her. Especially why you don't want to be around... him. It makes total sense._

 _Nobody at Camp Half-Blood ever pushed you away. You have friends - or at least people who would like to be your friend. You pushed yourself away. If you'd get your head out of that brooding cloud of yours for once -_

 _Yeah, okay. But, Nico, you do choose how to live your life. You want to trust somebody? Maybe take a risk that I'm really your friend and I'll accept you. It's better than hiding._

 _Nico, I've seen a lot of brave things. But what you just did? That was maybe the bravest._

 _He means he can't control a whole legion. He's not of high enough rank._

 _You have a zombie chauffeur._

 _That's - that's fantastic! Dude! Right. No touching. Sorry._

 _I'm not your type … Wait. So -_

 _You can't help out a friend? Maybe cut bandages? Bring me a soda or a snack? Or just a simple How's it going, Will? You don't think I could stand to see a friendly face?_

 _Good. So you may be dense, but you're not an idiot._

 _Right now you couldn't summon a wishbone without melting into a puddle of darkness, di Angelo. I told you, no more Underworldy stuff, doctor's orders. You owe me at least three days of rest in the infirmary. Starting now._

 _Nico, shouldn't you be sitting at the Hades table?_

 _I'm his doctor._

Nico slowly opened his eyes, his head swarming with thoughts as his vision kicked back in. He could see the ceiling above him, could smell different potions. As he began to ground himself back into reality, he still couldn't get those voices out of his head.

Where had they come from? Some of the voices were so familiar, so loving. He could almost picture their owners. But their faces were blurred, were long lost behind a veil in his mind. Yet for the first time, they seemed real.

 _Remember who you are, son of Hades_. The voice came again, causing him to jump in surprise. He looked around, saw that the infirmary was empty beside him. _Remember your morals, remember who you were destined to be._

"Who are you?" Nico muttered the question to himself, closed his eyes in hopes to hear the voice again. But it never came.

Bianca di Angelo... Hades, Hades... Nico di Angelo...Psyche...Will... The names swarmed in his brain, nagged at his thoughts as he tried to relax into the pillows. Nico di Angelo...had that been his original name? He could hardly remember.

"Nico!" Ron strolled into the room with Harry close behind him. "You're finally awake. You've been out for a couple days."

Nico's eyes widened. _"Days_?"

Harry nodded. "Professor Dumbledore said not to worry. Apparently, the hat had to do it to see into your memories to sort you."

Nico thought back to the voices that had plagued him. "Oh..."

"I brought your schedule down." Ron handed him the piece of paper. "And mum sent over some sweets. She's really worried."

"I don't understand why." Nico's eyes flicked over his schedule. "What house am I in? Did the stupid hat say?"

Ron shared a look with Harry. "Hufflepuff, I think."

"You think?"

"Hufflepuff." Harry clarified. "Dumbledore told us so."

Nico groaned. "Why? Why that house? I'm not loyal."

"The hat thought you were." Ron handed him the box of candy. "This is the sweets from mum... We should go."

"Yeah, okay." Nico looked down at the box. "I... I have to rest up anyway. I'll see you tomorrow."

Tomorrow. Yet before that day hit, Nico was positive about one thing.

He was going to figure out what the hell those voices meant.


	6. Chapter 5

**Everything in the "textbook" Nico reads is from** **wiki/Hades because I was too lazy to write it myself**

* * *

Nico skipped out on dinner to stay in the large library with his nose to the books. Most of them he couldn't read, the English screwed up. Did anyone else have those problems? He couldn't be sure when he even _learned_ to read.

He was just about to give up when he saw a word on the spine of a book, a word he could actually read. Without thinking twice about why the letters were different, why he could read it but not the others, he grabbed it off the shelf and flipped it open.

 **Gods of Ancient Greece**

 **Zeus (pages 1-3)**

 **Poseidon (pages 4-5)**

 **Hades (page 6)**

 **Athena (pages 7-9)**

 **Aphrodite (pages 10-12)**

 **Hephestus (page 13)**

The table of contents continued on from there, but Nico's eyes were on the third entry. Hades... He had been called a child of Hades too many times to count. In his dreams, in real life. The lake...

He flipped to page six. There, a marble headed statue stared back at him.

 **Hades is the god of the underworld in Ancient Greek religion and myth. He is the eldest son of the Titans Kronos and Rhea and brother to Zeus and Poseidon.**

 **As the lord of the dead, Hades was greatly feared by the Greeks, and he had few temples or shrines dedicated to him. He was married to the goddess Persephone, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. Hades' symbols were the cornucopia, a scepter, the cypress, narcissus, poplar and his Helm of Darkness; the screech owl was his sacred animal.**

 **Hades' Roman equivalent was Pluto, whose name is merely a Latinization of the Greek Plouton.**

Hades...Persephone...Pluto... The names swirled around his brain, seemed to take on a life of their own. With each repeat of them, another image came to mind.

He could see a man stare down at him from a throne, could see a woman watching from the doorway. He could see fields of torture, fields of restless spirits. He could see the way they were nothing more than husks of their former selves.

Then it was gone. He stared at the shelves of books, stared as he tried to process what happened. Why would anyone be calling him a son of a god? A fake one, at that. Was his father simply named after this mythological being?

No. Things didn't work that way. He was sitting in a castle, ready to learn about magic, having witnessed a hat talk. Anything was possible.

 _You've got a good brain, young demigod._

Nico stood up in a sudden surge of anger, his fists slamming onto the wooden table. "WHO ARE YOU?!"

He didn't get an answer, but he did successfully get kicked out of the library.

* * *

Nico stalked down the halls of Hogwarts for some time after that, wondering exactly where any of the dormitories were. Why'd they have to be so hidden? It was just a place to sleep, nothing more.

Memories of his childhood came to mind, memories of the shared bed he had slept in for some time. Ron may be annoying as hell, but he did keep the nightmares away most nights. A brother... Had he ever had one before?

 _Who am I?_ He looked down the halls in the dim light. _Why was I found? Who abandoned me?_

 _Who am I?_

As soon as Nico saw the ghost, he ran towards him with a sick feeling in his stomach but a sense of hope. "Sir! Can you tell me how to get to my dormitory, sir?"

The ghost took some time to turn around, his hands clasped together tightly as he looked at the young wizard. "Why...why of course, master. What house are you in?"

Master? "Hufflepuff."

The ghost showed him where to go, what barrel to tap, and the rhythm in which to do it. Within five minutes, Nico was laying on his bed in the unlit room, his arms beneath his head as he stared above him.

Hufflepuff... When had he ever been loyal? He couldn't remember a time.

Who was he? He'd never be sure, not with what he was doing. Hogwarts wouldn't offer him answers, wouldn't offer him his memories. If anything, it would take the only thing he had left.

He knew the Weasley's weren't his family, knew Ron wasn't his brother. But every time they grew further apart, another piece of him broke.

 _Who am I?_ He felt a piece of him die. _Who am I?_

* * *

Nico woke up the next morning just as moody as the night before. Every breath felt like it shouldn't be, every pump of his heart spread blood to new places. When none of this felt right, it was hard to live right.

On his way to breakfast, he could hear the whispers going about having to do with Harry. Pointing him out, talking behind his back. Nico tried to ignore the kid in question, hating the sickness he felt whenever he got close. Whatever was in that scar of his...it made Nico thankful that he had his own scars and not one like that.

His own scars... How had he never questioned them before? They covered his torso, covered his back. On his biceps, claw marks stood out from the others as an angry shade of red. He had them for as long as he could remember, but they still hadn't fully healed. Even the spells Molly used couldn't satisfy the area.

By the time Nico got to breakfast, he was practically setting off an aura of sadness and melancholy. Those at the Hufflepuff table looked at him as if he didn't belong, some other tables pointed him out just as they did Harry Potter. An odd one, they called him. A freak. He was as un-Weasley-like as they came.

Nico was snapped out of his inner turmoil when a boy next to him scooped a heaping of eggs onto Nico's plate. "There. Eat or something."

Nico turned to face the Hufflepuff, his eyebrow raised at the introduction. The boy was around Nico's age, with blond hair cut short and eyes a deep blue. "Um...who are you?"

"Dominic Cook." Dominic stuck his hand out, which Nico shook reluctantly. "I'm new to the wizarding world. Are you?"

Nico shook his head, his eyes calculating the face in front of him. Why was he talking to him? "No. I grew up with wizards... Why did you give me food?"

"You didn't have any...?" Dominic's confused expression sent Nico's cheeks heating up. "Why else would I?"

"I didn't ask for it, though." Nico reasoned. "I'm not hungry."

"Fine, don't eat." Dominic leaned his head on his hand. "You got a girlfriend?"

"We're _eleven_."

Dominic shrugged. "I like this girl in Ravenclaw. We rode on the train together. You should help me get with her."

Nico felt his heart drop. "Yeah...okay..." With a clenched fist, he drew blood from his palm. Why did he ever think this kid was gay, just because he looked like Will?

Nico's eyes widened. Will... "I have to go!" Nico grabbed his bag before running from the hall, his heart pounding against his ribcage. Will...Will... Who was Will?

And why did Nico love him so much?


	7. Chapter 6

Nico's first day of classes was as boring as ever. Having grown up with magic, it wasn't anything different. He saw desks turned into pigs, saw potions being brewed. The only thing that seemed weird to him were the memories that kept appearing, the thoughts and names that made him feel insane.

Will... The name itself made his heart ache.

It was during Snape's class when Nico heard the word for the first time, when the term planted itself in his head. And of course, it was Dominic who made Nico rethink everything.

"I swear, if his age was right he'd be Voldemort reincarnated," Dominic whispered to another Hufflepuff. "The amount of evil is just right."

Reincarnated... Why did it sound so familiar? Nico grabbed Dominic's arm and pulled him to attention. "What's that mean?"

"Huh?" Dominic looked over from his potion. "You're a pureblood. How don't you know who Voldie is?"

"Not him." Nico let his partner do all the work, not even bothering to try and read the instructions. "That word. Reincarnation."

"Purebloods really are oblivious." Dominic glanced at his potion once before fully facing Nico. "So, reincarnation. It's like...you die, but you get reborn as someone else."

"Is it real?" Nico asked. "Can they remember their past lives?"

"It's a myth," Dominic replied simply. "Some people believe, some people don't. Like God. Some people say they remember, like they have nightmares and stuff." He shrugged. "I don't believe it."

Nico thought back to all the nightmares he had, all the names that had been produced from nowhere. "Oh..."

"Why?" Dominic asked. "You look like you're about to throw up."

Nico looked down at his hands, which had grown even paler during the days at Hogwarts. "It sounded familiar. A lot of things are like that. Things sound familiar but I've never heard them before. And my nightmares..."

"Oh. You're one of them." Dominic turned back towards his potion and stirred it.

Nico felt as if he had been slapped in the face. "I...I..."

"So, what are the nightmares about?" Dominic asked. "Who do you think you were?"

Nico froze. "You actually want to know? You're not going to make fun of me?"

"Just because I don't believe in anything doesn't mean it doesn't exist." Dominic shrugged. "Look at me, brewing a potion. I still don't officially believe in magic."

Nico snorted. "That's tough."

"I know." Dominic glared at the instructions before leaning back in his seat. "I screwed it up. No hope now. So, what are you dreaming about?"

"Well...I have these dreams. Voices like I've heard them before. They keep calling me 'son of Hades'. And then they say other names, like Bianca." Nico's voice broke at the name though he wasn't sure why. "And then when I saw you I thought 'he looks like Will'. I've never met a Will before. But I feel like I love a Will."

"You're gay?" Dominic asked. "I didn't see that coming."

Nico's face turned red. "That's all you got from that?"

"Sorry." Dominic waved the thought away. "Ignore that. So... That's odd. Isn't Hades a Greek god?"

Nico nodded. "Of the dead."

"Do you believe in him?" Dominic asked. "I mean, I don't, but I think you could have guessed that."

Nico shrugged. "I have no reason to."

"Except for the voices."

"Except for the voices." Nico agreed.

* * *

Nico watched Ron from the side of the hallway, able to feel the intense gaze his dark eyes sent out. Ever since he was little, he was always a dark person. Even when he was happy, he seemed to be the personification of shadows.

Even the shadows themselves were attracted to him.

"Nico?" Ron noticed the smaller boy and walked over to him, Harry in tow. "Why do you look like you're planning my death?"

Nico waved him away. "I'm waiting for Dominic. He's trying to convince the poor girl to go out with him."

"Sorry?"

"Nothing, nothing." Nico gestured to the doorway behind him. "Go eat lunch or something. You're blocking the way for everyone else."

"Are you sure-"

 _Are you really okay, son of Hades?_

"I'm okay." Nico cut him off as the voice rang loud and clear. "I'm okay... I'm okay. Go in and eat."

 _Are you okay, son of Hades?_

Nico watched as Harry and Ron disappeared through the archway, watched from the shadows as who he thought to be like a brother walked away without another word. Did he really not care? Did he really not see that something was wrong?

 _Are you okay, son of Hades?_

"No, no I'm not..." Nico sunk to the floor with his fists balled together. "No, I'm not..."

Bianca, Will, Hades. How many loved ones had he forgotten? Who had he truly been in his past life?

Was there a way to get those memories back?

"Hey, Weasley." Dominic plopped down beside him. "What happened?"

Nico pointed to his head. "Voices."

"Annoying?"

"Yep."

Dominic ran a hand through his short hair. "That sucks... Allyson said hi to me. She knew my name."

"Of course she knew your name," Nico replied. "She's a Ravenclaw. She's smart."

"Yeah, well, she said it nicely." Dominic looked over at the dark haired boy. "Are we going to go eat?"

"Maybe." Nico moved a hand to his head. "I'm just... I'm trying to remember." His voice broke, causing him to cringe. "I..I want to know where I came from."

"Maybe Dumbledore can help." Dominic offered. "Maybe there's a spell to find past memories."

Nico looked over at him. "Do you think he'd do it for me?"

Dominic shrugged. "It's worth a shot."

Nico grinned. "Let's ask."

* * *

"Percy!" Annabeth ran up to the teenage boy with a sense of urgency. "Chiron wants to see us. I think it's another quest."

Percy looked over from his constant gaze on the Hades cabin. It had been years since Nico disappeared, years of fruitless searches. "Did he say what it was about?"

She shook her head. "But we need you there. The other cabin leaders are already in their seats. You're the only one left."

Percy got up, stretching his legs while doing so. "Do you think he's dead, Annabeth? Do you think he's really dead?"

Annabeth looked down at the grass at their feet. "Percy... If he wasn't, he'd be here. If he wasn't, Hades would tell us so. But he hasn't."

"I'm not giving up on him," Percy assured her. "If we don't see his body, he's not dead."

"...okay, Percy. Let's get to the meeting."

"Yeah...yeah, okay."


	8. Chapter 7

"Flying lessons are Thursday." Ron grabbed his brother by the arm to tell him the information. "What are you going to do?"

Nico scowled at the mention of his fear of heights. "Not do it."

Hermoine popped up next to the unlikely duo. "You're scared of heights? Well, you shouldn't be scared of the lesson. It's perfectly safe-"

"Yeah, I don't care." Nico jabbed himself in the chest. "Me. Heights. It doesn't mix."

Hermoine turned red. "It's part of your grade."

"I'll fail, then." Nico shrugged. "That doesn't bother me much. It's not like I need to learn it."

Ron went wide-eyed. "He doesn't even like Quidditch, Hermoine."

"Who would ever like that game?" Nico asked. "It's idiotic." Before Ron could have a stroke, he turned to Hermoine. "I'm going to breakfast. Bye."

Leaving a flustered Ron behind, Nico entered the Great Hall. His eyes landed on his own table, where Dominic sat with his eyes fixated on the Ravenclaw girl.

 _Do you remember, son of Hades? Do you remember?_

Nico walked over to the table, tried to feel at home in a place where he'd be staying for months. Did he remember? Remember what, exactly?

Dominic looked up, waved him over.

 _Do you remember, son of Hades? Do you remember your love?_

 _Will..._ Nico sat by Dominic, felt comfortable with that blond hair. His love was Will, and he was going to remember. "Have you asked Dumbledore?"

Dominic shook his head. "I will, I will. I got distracted."

"By the Ravenclaw?"

"Yep."

Nico sighed. "You're too obsessed."

"So?" Dominic gestured to himself. "Do I look like I have any self-respect?"

"Not really." Nico looked into his plate, tried to think of anything relating to Will. Will...Will...the sun...

"Are you thinking about Will again?" Dominic asked. "If he's from a past life...there's no possible way to meet up with him."

"I know." Nico snapped. "I know, you don't have to remind me."

"I do if you're going to focus on him." Dominic retorted. "You can't waste your life thinking about him."

"Watch me." Nico stabbed at his eggs. "It's not like there's anything here to focus on. Ron left me for stupid Harry Potter."

Dominic looked like he had been slapped. "Right... Well, you could talk to Ron. Maybe he's being unreasonable."

"Unreasonable? I'm not even his actual brother." Nico reasoned. "I'm an orphan, a kid they were basically forced to take it. I'm not going to force anything else on him. If he wants to hang out with Harry, then he hangs out with Harry."

Dominic rolled his eyes. "You're hopeless."

"Excuse me?"

"You need to stop feeling sorry for yourself," Dominic replied. "You're in a castle. In a magic school, learning magic. Your teachers don't hate you, not even Snape. The ghosts listen to everything you say. You're not bad looking."

Nico felt his face heat up. "I'm not bad looking?"

Dominic shook his head. "So go find a boyfriend, go mingle. Get your head out of this hole you're in."

"I can't get a boyfriend," Nico replied miserably. "I can't cheat on Will. He's amazing." He froze, tried to remember those words that had left his mouth. "Why did I say that?"

"Did you remember anything else?" Dominic asked.

Nico shook his head. "I just...spoke. I don't know what happened."

"We can go to Dumbledore after classes if you want." Dominic gestured to the teacher's table. "He looks nice enough."

"I guess." Nico stood up. "Let's get going to our classes. My grades are already down and we haven't even been here a week."

Dominic grabbed his remaining piece of toast before also rising to his feet. "Fine, let's go. We've got Potions."

Nico huffed in annoyance at the thought of the class. "I hate Snape. He's so...frustrating. It's not my fault I can't read his stupid cursive. And just because he likes me doesn't mean I'm going to try."

"I'll read it for you like usual." Dominic followed Nico as they started for their class. "And I'll work on getting you a boyfriend. Will's probably dead and gone."

"I know..." Nico looked down at his feet. "It still feels wrong, though."

"It isn't going to feel better if you don't do anything about it," Dominic replied. "You've got to work to make it right. And thinking about him every second of the day isn't going to help."

"Yeah..." Nico ran a hand through his unkempt hair. He could see others staring at him, could hear their whispers. They thought he didn't belong in Hufflepuff. And in those moments, he agreed.

* * *

Dumbledore smiled at the two Hufflepuffs that had come to his office. Having previously talked to the Sorting Hat, he knew exactly why they were there.

"Why not?" Dominic asked, standing from his seat. "Why won't you help him?"

"I'm afraid I can't." Dumbledore eyed Nico, who sat with his head bowed. "The Sorting Hat was sure to let me know that Nico can't know his memories. Not from me."

Dominic crossed his arms. "So what are we supposed to do?"

"I would suggest living in the present," Dumbledore replied. Nico looked up then, those dark eyes staring into Dumbledore's. "You would be surprised how you can waste away in the past."

Nico stood up, his cloak falling about him. In the castle light, he looked like a stereotypical vampire. "Fine."

Dominic turned to his friend. "You're giving up that easily?"

Nico kept his gaze on Dumbledore. "I know he's not going to help me. I can read him."

"You act like you're older than twelve." Dominic walked towards the door. "Fine, let's go. But I don't know how else we're going to help you."

"We'll figure it out." Nico turned to leave, his fists clenched at his sides. A couple shadows moved about the floor, circling around his feet. He recognized his own wandless magic as soon as it came, having seen it countless times at home when he got too emotional. This time, however, he didn't have Ron or Mrs. Weasley to help calm him down. "I need to get out of here."

He exited the office with Dominic, able to feel the darkness rolling off of him. "I...I need to go... I'll meet up with you later."

Dominic looked back at Nico in confusion. "Why? Are you okay?"

Nico nodded once, going to lean back against the wall. As he did, however, he kept falling. The wall never came, but the shadows did. They surrounded him, covered his vision. Before he knew it, Hogwarts was gone.


	9. Chapter 8

Nico fell back onto a bunk bed, the momentum causing him to bounce slightly before going still. He looked around, hoping what had happened had been a disappearing wall or a work of magic, that maybe Hogwarts had been playing with him. But nothing about the room he was in resembled Hogwarts in the slightest.

It looked to be a cabin, with dark wooden walls and a floor to match. The bunks were stacked and dark, with silk blankets that somehow were extremely warm beneath his hands. He could see the sunlight peeking through the closed door, could see that it would have to be in a different time zone than Scotland's darkening skies.

"How...how..." Nico stood up, looked around for the shadows that had brought him there. None in the room looked abnormal. He tried to step through one to go back, but he only resulted in slamming into the wall.

 _You aren't supposed to be here, son of Hades._ The voice sent chills down his spine. _Stay put._

For the first time, Nico didn't listen. He crossed over to the door, put his hand on the handle.

 _Son of Hades!_

He jumped back in surprise just as the door opened, a green-eyed boy standing there. As Nico fell back into the shadows, they looked at each other in raw shock.

Then the shadows enveloped him again.

Nico fell back onto his bed in the Hufflepuff dormitories, his heart beating out of his chest. He could still see that cabin, could still see the boy that had opened that door. He looked so familiar...

"Nico!" Dominic was suddenly at his side. "What the hell was that?"

Nico grabbed onto Dominic's sleeve without thinking. He could feel himself calming, could feel as he started to become grounded. He felt...he felt at home. Finally.

"Nico." Dominic sat next to him. "What happened?"

"I don't know..." Nico breathed out. "I don't know. It shouldn't be possible."

"Tell me what you know." Dominic grabbed a glass of water off the bedside table and handed it to Nico. "Just relax. You're back where you're supposed to be."

Nico sipped at the water, felt his heart beating. "I'm still alive..."

Dominic nodded. "Course you are. You're okay."

"I'm scared of the dark." Nico spit the words out without another thought. "It scares me. In my nightmares... It scares me. And I fell into the darkness and it took me to this cabin thing. And when I was there it felt familiar...and this teenager came in...and he looked familiar...and the voice was there and then it brought me back. I think it was the voice that brought me back."

"What'd the voice say?" Dominic asked.

"It said that I wasn't supposed to be there." Nico took a deep breath, pictured the face of the boy he had seen. "But...but that boy knew me, I could tell. What if he knows where I came from? What if he knows everything I'm wondering about?"

"You should try to go back." Dominic got up. "We can go to the library tomorrow and try to figure out how to do it."

Nico set the water back on the table, his hands starting to stop their shaking. "What if I'm really not supposed to be there?"

"Then..." he shrugged. "I don't know. We'll figure it out."

"We'll figure it out..." Nico whispered the words to himself. Were him and Dominic friends? He never thought he'd accomplish a real friend, but maybe now he really had one. Who else would get into something so complicated?

"I just want Will..." Nico laid down, his hair falling into his face. "I just want Will."

* * *

His dreams that night weren't terrifying like usual, but instead held some light into what had happened that day.

In the dream, he was standing in the same cabin as he had been before. The boy he had seen was standing in the middle, a figurine clenched tightly in his fists.

"Nico..." the boy's voice shook. "I saw you. I know I did. If you're here... Please tell me. Please. We're going to be leaving on a quest soon."

Nico stepped towards him, stared into those green eyes. "Percy..."

The boy didn't react, didn't seem to hear Nico's voice at all. But finally, the name came to Nico's mind. That boy... his name was Percy.

"Percy!" Nico grabbed onto the boy's arm. "I'm right here! I'm in Scotland! Please! Please tell me what's going on!"

Percy looked around the cabin once more, turned to the door. "Maybe I was just seeing things... Annabeth said it was impossible. But I saw...I saw maybe you shadow traveled out... I don't know..."

Nico looked at this boy, tried to memorize every detail of that face. It was the key to his past, the key to who he really was.

"I...I have to go..." Percy turned toward the door. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry about how things turned out, Nico... We noticed you were gone too late..."

"Wait!" Nico tried to grab him but the dream started to evaporate around him. "Wait! No! Percy! Please!"

 _Son of Hades... How much do you know?_


	10. Chapter 9

After the dream evaporated, all Nico could hear was that voice. It was feminine, it was ancient. It complained about things happening too fast, about how the plan was about to fall apart. It complained that Nico knew too much.

 _Hades won't allow anything else._ Was he supposed to hear this? _No more mind wiping, no more Mist. Nothing._

Mind wiping... Was this voice responsible for what had happened to him? Was she something to do with reincarnation?

Before he could hear any more, he woke up in a cold sweat. Thursday was coming.

* * *

"Mindwiped..." Dominic tapped the pencil against the library table. "That doesn't make sense."

Nico looked up from his piles of homework. "Why not?"

Dominic looked down at his pencil, cursed himself for not having brought a sharpener also. "Know any sharpening spells?"

"They told you to bring quills for a reason." Nico pulled one from his bag. "Here. Now, why doesn't it make sense?"

"You don't get your mind wiped when you get reborn." Dominic took the quill and looked it over. "You just come back as a baby that wouldn't remember anything. How do I use this?"

Nico moved his ink to the center of the table. "Dip. Then why would she say mind wiped? If I was just mind wiped then I wouldn't remember anything."

"That's true." Dominic started to experiment with the quill. "But... Tell me the part of the dream with Percy again."

Nico told him all that had happened. "What about it?"

The blond haired boy threw the quill aside in frustration. "If you had known him before the Weasley's found you and your mind had been wiped, he would know you as a kid, right?"

Nico frowned. "He wasn't talking like he would if it was to a kid."

"Exactly." Dominic took his pencil and tried to sharpen it with his fingernails. "So...so you couldn't have just been memory wiped. But if you were reborn, he wouldn't still be that age."

Nico threw his hands up in surrender. "Then what happened?"

"I don't know, I'm not a Ravenclaw." Dominic defended. "We're Hufflepuffs, remember? We weren't good enough for the other houses."

Nico rolled his eyes. "It's something about loyalty."

"Loyalty to self-destruction," Dominic muttered. His mouth opened to say something else but no words came out, his eyes on the girl that had sat beside Nico. Her blue tie claimed she was in Ravenclaw, and by her looks, Nico knew for sure it was the girl that Dominic had been crushing on. "Al...Allyson... Hi!"

"...Hi..." she sat her bag at her feet. "I heard your conversation. You talk really loud, you know."

Nico glared at Dominic. "You did it on purpose."

Dominic kicked Nico's foot beneath the table, keeping his eyes on the red-headed girl sitting before him. "You heard the whole thing? What, were you eavesdropping on me?"

"Er, no." she pushed Nico's homework aside so she could lean her elbows on the table. "I was actually curious what you two whisper about so much. There are already rumors going around about Mr. Vampire here." She pointed at Nico. "So I wanted to see. And this is interesting."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Do you know anything we're not putting together? You're the Ravenclaw."

"Yes, actually." she held her hand out. "You gonna pay me for it?" She let it sit for a minute before grinning. "I'm joking, I'm rich. And I know more about the Greek gods."

Nico scowled. "Must be great to be able to make poor jokes, huh?"

Allyson turned to look at him. "You're a Weasley, aren't you?"

He nodded. "As far as I know."

Her green eyes flashed with distress. "Sorry. I wasn't thinking."

"The Ravenclaw wasn't thinking?" Nico turned back to his homework. "Just say what you came over here to say before Dominic has a stroke."

"You said it's calling you a son of Hades." she started. "Hades is the Greek god of the Underworld. And in the Underworld-" She pulled a book out of her bag. "I got this in the Restricted Section. It tells about the rivers of the Underworld."

Nico eyed the writing on front, his heart sinking when he could actually read it. "Why were you taking books about the Underworld from the Restricted Section?"

"Why _aren't_ you?" she flipped it open, the cover disappearing from sight. Over the course of pages, he didn't see any more writing that he could read. "One river wipes your memory. The River-"

"Lethe." Nico finished. As all eyes turned to him, he felt his heart start to race as he thought about what he said. Putting his head in his hands, he let out a soft groan. "What does this mean?"

Dominic and Allyson exchanged a look. "Um..." Allyson closed the book as she broke the eye contact. "Don't get too worked up, Nico. Just because it might all be real isn't a bad thing."

"And why is that?" Nico hissed.

"You don't have to feel crazy anymore." Dominic guessed, glancing at Allyson. "Right?"

She nodded. "Now we can work on figuring out why someone would wash your memories away. I have a theory already."

Nico picked his head up to stare at the two teenagers. Why had they wanted to be his friends? Why were they still being so nice to him? "You two promise not to tell anyone?"

They both nodded, though Allyson gestured around them. "Though I can't say if anyone heard or not. You two are loud."

"You already said that," Nico grumbled. "Fine, let's go somewhere else to talk."

"And where are you thinking?" Dominic asked. "We have to get up early tomorrow and there's gonna be people in our common room."

"And I'm not in your house." Allyson agreed. "I can't just waltz into your common room, even if it is Hufflepuff."

Nico rolled his eyes as he rose to his feet. "We're in a castle. I'm sure we can find an empty room or two. Or bathroom, like one we've all been told not to use."

"Moaning Mrtyle." Allyson looked up at him. "She'll be listening in to the whole conversation."

"Ghosts like me," Nico stated simply. "Now let's go before we're caught."


	11. Chapter 10

"What's the real reason you joined us?" Dominic asked Allyson, them both standing back as Nico whispered to the ghost of Moaning Myrtle. "You didn't just hear us."

Allyson's green eyes fixated on his. "You're smarter than I gave you credit for."

He smirked. "Thanks. Now tell me the truth. Nico's my only friend and I'm not going to let you use him or anything."

"Use him? For what? He's a Weasley." she shook her head. "He doesn't have anything that I would want."

"Then why are you helping him?" Dominic insisted. "You've never even met him before. And on the train, you said you don't like making friends-"

"You're not his bodyguard." Allyson looked back to Nico, saw his slumped form and hopeless figure. "I came to help because I saw how sad he is. I could tell. I've seen it before on someone."

Dominic tugged at his black robes. "Who's this someone?"

"No one you'll ever figure out." Allyson untied her tie. "Nico, we didn't come here to socialize!" She let the tie hang loosely around her neck, capturing Dominic's attention from Nico's now darkening gaze.

"She was saying something important." he sat beside the sinks, his hair even messier than usual. "If you guys were listening then you would know."

"Dominic was being annoying." Allyson moved and sat beside Nico. "So, what'd she say?"

Nico watched as Dominic came to sit by them. "You okay?"

He nodded once, his eyes moving back to Allyson.

Nico sighed. "You're hopeless. Okay..." He looked up but frowned when he saw Myrtle had disappeared. "Where did she go?"

 _Some things you can't be told, son of Hades. Not yet._

Nico shivered as the voice seemed to run down his spine. "Never mind. She said...she called me 'master' just like the other ghosts do."

Allyson picked at a string coming from her socks. Nico hadn't seen her take her shoes off. "Hades would be in charge of ghosts, don't you think? Though 'master' may be a bit too much."

"But I'm not Hades," Nico argued. "I'm not the god of ghosts."

"But you're his son." Dominic scratched his chin. "Does that mean you're a god?"

"I'm not a god." Nico snapped.

"Whatever, that's not the point." Allyson declared. "The point is that the ghosts call you 'master' and the voice calls you 'son of Hades' and you've been mind-wiped or something. _That's_ the point."

"No, I think the point is that he could be a god," Dominic replied. "You know how awesome that would be? We'd never die."

"Really?" Nico turned to face him. " _Immortality?_ Don't you see how horrible that is?"

"You speak just like a true death god."

Allyson clamped a hand over Dominic's mouth. "Don't make me use a silencing charm. He's not a god."

"Gee, thanks," Nico muttered. "The voice is a liar."

"Just because you're not a god doesn't mean you can't be his son." Allyson took a notebook from her bag, starting to jot down notes he could actually read. "It depends on who Hades had you with, who your mother is. Your real mother, not Mrs. Weasley."

"And how do you expect to do that?" Nico pointed to his head. "No memories, remember? Just idiotic voices in here."

"We could see if you're from an old wizarding family." Dominic looked to Allyson to see if he was right. "Aren't there books on that?"

"Yes, there are books on that." she let his mouth go as it hadn't done any good. "There are books on everything, Cook."

"You don't have to call me my last name."

"I just did."

Nico stood up, silencing the two. "Look, I'm going to bed. We can find the stupid book tomorrow if I don't die from those stupid flying lessons."

"Don't do them," Allyson suggested, getting her stuff together. "Go fake sick. Or show Madam Pomfrey those scars you have."

Nico blushed. "How do you know about those?"

Allyson froze with her notebook in hand before she went into movement again. "Cause. I'm in Ravenclaw, remember?"

"So? Ravenclaws don't have superhuman powers." Nico gestured to himself. "I'm the one that's a god, remember?"

"Not a god." she corrected. "Half god."

"We don't know for sure." he crossed his arms. "So? How did you know?"

Allyson sighed. "You wince whenever you touch your biceps. The front of them more than anything. You go out of your way to make sure you don't touch them."

Dominic raised an eyebrow. "What kind of scars do you have, Nico?"

"None of your business." Nico made sure he had his own bag. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

"I'm coming with you." Dominic looked to Allyson, his cheeks turning red. "Goodnight, Allyson."

"Goodnight, Huffles." she waved once before exiting the bathroom, leaving the boys alone in a room that was meant to only host girls.

"She knows too much." Nico hissed. "It's not just because she's smart."

"So?" Dominic stared at the door where she had left. "She's pretty."

Nico smacked the back of his head. "Focus. Let's get back to our common room at least. We're breaking the rules."

"We're _Hufflepuffs_ ," Dominic responded. "They don't care what we do."

"Really? Tell that to Filtch." Nico stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Come on, let's go. We can talk more in the morning."

Dominic nodded in agreement. "On our way to flying practice."

Nico scowled. "I'm not going. And you can't make me."

Dominic smirked. "Whatever you say."


	12. Chapter 11

**Just an authors note regarding some questions. I planned to answer them in the story but it might be at the end and I don't want people to be confused. Nico's memories were taken away for two reasons.**

 **one was for him to become emotionally attached to the people of Hogwarts instead of seeing them like another job. instead of just making sure Harry lives, Nico will actually care about the war and fight for everyone to live. Hades was against this as shown when Nico started remembering things. he heard Hecate say that Hades wouldn't allow any other mind wiping.**

 **the second reason is that nico wanted a break from his memories of tartarus and the giant war. it seemed like a good perk to the quest for him.**

 **I hope that cleared up some confusion and please ask if u have any other questions. just like this one they'll be answered eventually in the story but I don't like when people are confused**

* * *

Nico didn't go to the flying lessons, didn't step foot outside that castle. He needed a break from his so-called friends and needed a break from the schoolwork that had been piling up. He needed a break from everything he could think of.

His room finally emptied out, the other Hufflepuffs on their way to learn to fly a broom. They were excited, they couldn't seem to imagine that it could be true. Nico could only wish to be so ignorant.

His bed was soft, softer than anything he had felt at the Weasley house. It reminded him more of that cabin he had dropped into, those bunk beds that seemed to swallow you in a sense of home. Was Hogwarts his home? It felt more so than the Weasley's.

But even Hogwarts had a sense of wrong. He felt that he shouldn't be there, that he didn't belong. His dormitory felt like just a place to pass through, felt as if he shouldn't stay too long. But that feeling of home kept him there, kept him in that bed as he wondered what the intentions were of those he had started to call friends.

Allyson concerned him the most, with hair as red as the blood stains beneath her fingernails. Had she thought he hadn't realized? Though he wasn't a Ravenclaw like her, he still felt as if he had more street smarts.

He didn't trust her. Those notes she wrote in that notebook, he could read them. Why could he read them over anything else?

Then Dominic...why had any of them wanted to help so bad? They hadn't known each other before, hadn't ever met. They weren't friends.

But in the end, he felt as if they helped make Hogwarts home.

* * *

"Why are we in England again?" Percy asked, making Annabeth groan at the familiar question. "I wasn't paying attention."

"You're never paying attention." she flicked his forehead as they stepped into the cafe where they were planning on meeting the others. "Did you not hear one word Chiron said?"

Percy shook his head. "I was distracted. You know that. The whole thing with Nico..." He trailed off. "It's bothering me."

Annabeth cast him a pitiful look as she stepped in line. "Percy...you can't dwell on him forever. He's gone."

"He's disappeared before." Percy weakly argued. "He has. And Hades never came out and said he was dead. And Hazel-"

"Percy." Annabeth grabbed his shoulders as she cut him off. When he looked in her eyes, he was surprised to see tears forming. "He's not coming back. He would have already. We're not going to see him again. So we...we have to let him go, okay?"

Percy leaned his forehead against hers. "Why are you crying? Are you okay?"

"He was my friend, too, Percy." she jabbed him in the chest. "So stop bringing him up if it's not something new. He doesn't have anything to do with the quest we're on."

The daughter of Athena didn't know how wrong she could truly be.

* * *

Nico fell asleep waiting for the other Hufflepuffs to be back. His dreams, dark and morbid, reminded him of a time he was forced to forget.

He saw dark shadows moving about, saw himself in a place he could only describe as Hell. It was the first real memory to break through whatever was keeping them back.

He saw a lake of fire as he moved over the landscape, saw that he wasn't on a landscape at all but a body. _Inside_ it. He saw the tumors dotted around, saw the way the blood vessels watered the land.

The monsters...

He fought with a sword, fought with knives when the sword was tossed aside. He fought with anything he could. He could feel the ways he starved, could feel how much pain he took on.

He could hear some voices, but they weren't anything like the same female he had been hearing. He could feel his sanity fracture as the shadows kept moving, as they refused to listen, as he saw things that had probably never been there.

He saw himself being captured. It was then that he finally woke up, but this time, the memory didn't fade away. It stuck around and haunted him as he sat there, as he stared at the wall in hopes he had remembered wrong, it hopes it had just been a dream.

But he knew it wasn't.


	13. Chapter 12

"The British demigods were right." Annabeth relayed to Will Solace over the IM. "There's something weird going on over here. They were right to come to New York for safety."

"Any idea what's causing it?" Will asked, his hands fully wrapped in ace bandages. He was busy wrapping his arm, the old habit having turned into something more when Nico disappeared.

Annabeth shook her head. "But we saw... We've seen some strange things. People disappearing, things levitating. No one else seems to notice. It usually happens when mortals aren't around."

"There can't be more gods...right?"

"Hopefully." Annabeth glanced over at something off view from Will. "Look, I have to go. I just thought I could update you while I have the chance."

"Yeah, thanks..." Will cleared his throat. "Annabeth?"

"Yeah?"

"Just...look out for some signs of him...please?"

Annabeth's gaze turned sad as she looked Will over. "Yeah... Okay. I've got to go, now."

Will nodded as he waved his hand through the connection, leaving himself alone in the room where his boyfriend once slept.

* * *

Allyson stepped out of the bathroom with her robes wrapped tightly around herself. The IM had simply been a progress report, a report that everything might turn out okay. Soon, Camp Half-Blood would be notified.

The son of Hades had been found. She was sure of it, now. And the culprit for taking him... Hecate herself. Everything matched up.

* * *

Nico glanced over as Dominic entered the room, his hair and robes windblown from the morning's events.

"Did you hear what happened?" Dominic asked, going over and sitting on his own bed. "Apparently Malfoy threw Neville's thing and Harry had to dive to get it. Apparently, he's a natural Seeker."

Nico scowled. "What the hell is that?"

"Some kind of player in that game on the broomsticks." Dominic frowned. "What's got you so upset? Regret not going?"

Nico rolled his raw eyes as he got up and stretched his sore limbs. "Stupid wizards on their stupid broomsticks. I can't just ever have a normal life, can I?"

"We're wizards, so no." Dominic chuckled to himself before a faint blush spread over his cheeks. "Guess what."

"What?" Nico muttered, running his fingers over the scars he had gotten down...it whatever that place was. He didn't know the name nor did he want to learn it.

"So I was talking to Allyson..." Dominic held out a piece of parchment. "I got her phone number for during summer break."

Nico snatched it out of Dominic's hand and read it over before tossing it aside. "It's fake." Those fake shadows, those fake voices.

"What do you mean?" Dominic dove for the parchment before holding it to his chest. "I read it back to her and she said it was right."

"The area code she gave you is from New York," Nico replied, though he wasn't sure where his information was coming from. "She doesn't live in New York. She's British."

"She could be staying there for the summer." Dominic offered, his voice having quieted down.

"Did she say it was her phone number?"

Dominic nodded glumly. "Yeah..."

"Then it's fake." Nico leaned against the wall, feeling the way it pressed into his back, feeling every scar it lit up in his mind. "Sorry, kid."

"Why are you calling me kid? You're like twelve." Dominic ripped the paper into shreds. "You're not much older than me at all."

Nico went to roll his eyes at the statement but stopped. "Oh...right..." _How old am I? Do I have a birthday? Why do I feel as if I've lived a hundred years?_

"Why do you think she gave me a fake one?" Dominic asked, his eyes landing on his pile of homework distastefully. "I said just to keep in touch."

"She probably doesn't want to keep in touch with you." Nico's leg started to bounce as he thought about the memories, as he started to get anxious when he saw the shadows around the room. Would they listen to him now? Would they hurt him? What could come out of them? "You probably came off too strong."

"Was I _that_ obvious?" Dominic laid on his bed and flung an arm over his eyes.

"Yeah..." Could they transport him again? Would that Percy be there waiting for his arrival? "You really were. Try a different way for the next girl." Different ways, different tactics. He stared at those shadows in a new sense, a sense full of hope and of the possible. "If I could get them to listen to me..."

"Hm?"

"Nothing," Nico glanced over at his dormmate before grabbing his jacket. "I'll be back. I'm going to go on a walk."

"Okay..."

Nico took off from the dormitories with a sudden burst of energy. He could feel the shadows around him, could feel how each one had its own power. If they could listen to him...if they could transport him again where he most wanted to go...


	14. Chapter 13

Annabeth spent ten minutes assuring Will that they would go to this castle immediately, then spent another ten asking Chiron to talk to his old friend. By the time she left that bathroom, she had a gameplan and some money to get them to this wizarding school.

Nico...why would they send him to a school for wizards in the first place? Was he...on his mother's side...?

Why had he just left without saying anything? All Will said was that he was found, that a daughter of Hecate from Camp Jupiter had reported him. If it really was him, why hadn't he IMed them? Why hadn't he said goodbye?

She was going to kick his ass when she got there.

* * *

It was the next night when Hecate blessed them, assured them that they'd have powers as long as they helped a boy named Harry Potter. They agreed, and Percy couldn't help but question her about Nico. She left, then. She didn't say a word.

But she did admit it was her first time blessing someone. So that meant if Nico really was at this school, wizarding was in his blood.

* * *

Nico was in that forest for hours, screaming at the top of his lungs. He screeched and wailed, punched trees and let that agony out. He could see the shadows responding to him, could see the way they moved about. They listened.

His fists started to bleed from the rough bark, his knuckles cracked and broke. He kept punching on. His throat stung and remained raw, he voice disappeared. He kept screaming on.

After hours, when the moon took the place of the sun, he collapsed on the ground in utter exhaustion.

The shadows still listened to him. They fretted about, danced in the moonlight that shown through the canopy of trees. He found comfort in that darkness. It was a different kind of darkness than that place in his dreams, a _better_ kind of darkness. It reminded him of home.

Home... What was his home? Maybe it was those shadows, maybe it was the darkness itself.

* * *

Dominic laid awake that night and stared at the ceiling above him, his blue eyes focusing on the different spots and cracks of the castle. It was an amazing structure, a place he had always dreamed about seeing. It was easy to stay awake when he needed to.

The moonlight shone in through the window, illuminating Nico's empty bed. His covers were thrown aside, one of his blankets laid on the floor. A pair of socks and boots were stuffed down the side of the mattress, the odd habit having become more important in Dominic's mind as the nights went on. Why was Nico always so prepared to leave?

He never thought he'd find a castle to be his home, but Dominic couldn't stop the thoughts any longer. He was home, free of the shack he grew up in. But was he really? It still haunted his dreams from time to time.

Maybe that's how Nico felt, maybe that's why Dominic had been so drawn to him. He could never be sure, and before he could begin to make up his mind about it, Nico crept into the room with movements too slow to be normal.

"Nico..." Dominic sat up in his bed, keeping his voice low to not wake the others. "Where were you?"

Nico sat beside Dominic on the bed, his tired eyes staring at his feet. "I went to go release some stuff...sorry for just running off..."

"It's okay." Dominic glanced over at him. "So...are you okay?"

Nico nodded. "I feel better."

"That's good."

Nico shrugged. "I guess. I still don't understand a lot. But...but it's better. I can control more, now. I like that."

Dominic froze when he saw Nico's fists. "Who did you kill? Did you hide the body good? If you didn't we need to get a sheet and-"

Nico's cold gaze broke as a chuckle escaped his mouth. "Oh my god, no, I didn't kill anyone."

Dominic smiled sheepishly. "Oh...okay... Good. Then who did you hurt?"

"No one. I punched some trees." Nico rubbed his knuckles as a wince of pain escaped over his face, though the pain was nothing compared to what he had felt...down there. "To get the anger out, you know?"

Dominic nodded as he reached for his wand. "We should get the blood off and stuff. Then you should sleep. It's late."

Nico let him whisk away the blood before he went to his own bed and collapsed onto the covers. His blanket was still on the floor but nothing inside him gave him the will to pick it up. "Goodnight."

"Night." Dominic put his wand away before also laying down, his eyes once again meeting that ceiling, the ceiling that was worth more than Dominic's whole house had been.

They both fell asleep relatively soon, exhaustion playing a key role in Nico's unconsciousness. And that exhaustion, he was sure of it, was the reason he didn't have nightmares that night. It was the only reason he went back to that forest the next day.


	15. Chapter 14

Nico Weasley... That name was something Nico had never fully accepted. He hadn't been born that way, hadn't been purposely named it. But as the days went by in Hogwarts, he accepted it more as himself.

Who was he? He still wasn't sure. One side of him remained Nico di Angelo, the boy he was forced to forget. The other side would always be Nico Weasley.

On one side he was a boy that loved Will, an unknown boy that possibly had eyes as blue as Dominic's. He knew someone named Percy, was possibly friends with him.

On the other side, he was brother to Ron, brother to Ginny, brother to Fred and George. His mother homeschooled him growing up, his father was obsessed with Muggles. He had grown up to be a wizard.

He learned to embrace Nico Weasley as he tried to bury Nico di Angelo. But the past never fully goes away. It sneaks up on you, creeps into your brain. It'll always be there, waiting, watching for an opportunity to make itself known when you're at your weakest.

He didn't feel weak anymore, however.

He talked to Ron more, talked to Harry. He met his brother's friends in that red house, he met more people in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. He felt at home deep in that world of magic.

Yet as the week went by, he had to go to that forest each night. He trained with those shadows, let all his anger and sadness out.

He could make shadows move. They listened.

Yet he wasn't scared. Magic had been a part of his life for forever, had been something he had always known. These shadows, the way they moved, it was some form of magic. Was it banned? He'd have to ask his parents.

His parents... They had raised him as their own, so theirs he'd be.

He belonged to someone.

* * *

"Remember, don't make a scene." Annabeth warned as Professor McGonagall led them to the Great Hall. "We don't need everyone knowing our business."

"You'll find the students of Hogwarts are as curious as ever," McGonagall commented. "I wouldn't underestimate them."

"We'll try to keep everything of our world secret," Annabeth promised. "And we'll try to help Harry."

"And speaking of the students," Percy cut in. "Do you know Nico?"

McGonagall glanced over at Percy as they got to the doorway. They could see through it to the teacher's table, could hear the loud school as they ate. "He's in one of my classes, yes. A talented young wizard. Though he can get into some trouble with that brother of his."

Before Percy could ask who the fuck this brother was, McGonagall led them into the great hall.

* * *

Nico looked over his brother's shoulder at the heaping amounts of food that had been piled onto the plate. "How can you stand to eat so much?"

Ron jumped slightly but didn't stop his onslaught of food. "Nico, we need to put a bell around your neck or something."

"No, thank you." Nico plucked a roll off Ron's plate and picked at it with his fingers. "Did you get the letter from mom this morning?" Mom. He had someone to call mom.

Ron shook his head as he continued eating. Sighing, Nico turned his attention to Harry. "She told me to check up on his grades."

Harry held back a chuckle. "They aren't that well."

"Hey!" Ron protested, spraying some food onto the table.

"I'm guessing Harry was right." Nico took a bite of the roll before heading back to his table. "Good luck when I tell her!"

Why had she asked him? He could barely imagine that she trusted him so.

He sat next to Dominic in a flurry of robes as Dumbledore stood from the head table, getting the attention of the student body as he started to explain that there would be transfer students joining them.

"We actually get to watch a sorting," Dominic whispered. "Wonder if we'll get any of them."

"Hufflepuffs don't get anyone important," Nico muttered, his eyes on McGonagall as she came into view and called the first name.

"Chase, Annabeth!"

The blonde teenager had to be in her last year of Hogwarts. She wore Muggle clothes with a baseball cap on her head. As she sat on the stool, her eyes met Nico's as the hat was placed on her head.

Those gray eyes made Nico want to throw up.

"You okay?" Dominic asked, his eyes also on that girl. Annabeth. "Is she turning you straight."

Nico scowled as he elbowed Dominic. "She's not turning me straight. What, you like her?"

"Yep."

"Over Allyson?"

"Nope."

"But you're still gonna stare."

"Most definitely."

"Ravenclaw!" the hat scared both of them out of their conversation as the Ravenclaw table started to roar for their exchange student. Nico forgot what school they were from nor cared.

Annabeth stared at him as she went to her seat, stared at him as if he had just come back from the dead.


	16. Chapter 15

Annabeth sat at the Ravenclaw table as the cold sense of distrust ran through her veins. That kid had been Nico, she was sure of it. Nobody could ever mask so many emotions like that boy did.

But he was different, he had changed. And his age wasn't the only thing. He showed more happiness up front, had joked around with whoever had been sitting next to him. Was that the brother McGonagall had warned them about? She'd have to find out.

But for now, she looked back to the professor as she called the next name. Jackson, Percy.

* * *

Dominic looked away from the blonde girl as the new boy came into view, just one glimpse of him sending Nico's head to the table.

"What?" he whispered, trying to see Nico's face through his hair. "What is it? Who is that?"

As the hat took its time to sort the transfer student, Nico mumbled into his hands as if it pained him to speak. "Percy... I saw him at that cabin. I saw him."

Dominic looked up at the boy in question. He hadn't seemed to see Nico, his green eyes instead on Annabeth as if they were having a silent conversation. After a minute of this, he looked directly toward Nico and Dominic.

"He definitely knows you." Dominic glared at the boy as a sudden urge of hate washed over him. Who was he to come and ruin Nico all over again? He had been doing so good...

"I think I'm going to lay down." Nico stood up as the hat called out 'Gryffindor'. "I feel like throwing up."

"Do you want me to walk you?" Dominic asked over the cheering of the red table. "I can, it's no problem."

"No, I'm fine alone." Nico shot one last glance toward the exchange student before basically running from the hall, leaving Dominic to himself at that old table.

* * *

Percy sat at the Gyriffindor table as close as he could to Dominic, just happening to sit beside Ron and Harry. He stared at Dominic with broken eyes full of tears.

"McLean, Piper!"

The hall was silenced as the newest girl walked up to the stool and had the hat sat on her head.

"Do you know Nico?" Percy whispered, his eyes meeting Dominic's in a minute of fate. Time seemed to stall. "Why did he run from me?"

Dominic stared at this boy, stared at him as if he came from Hell itself. "Why do you care? Just leave him alone. Go back to wherever you came from."

"Excuse me?" Percy stood up in a flash of anger, causing all heads to turn to him. "You have no right-"

"No right?" Dominic scoffed. "I'm the one that's been holding him together! He was fine until you came here! And why did you come? To screw him up again? Fuck you!"

Percy's face turned red. "I didn't-"

"Gentlemen, please refrain from fighting during a sorting." McGonagall was suddenly beside them. "Mr. Cook, you should know to welcome all of our guests with peace. This is nothing more than a midnight brawl."

"Sorry, professor." Dominic looked away from her eyes. "May I go to my dormitory, Ma'am?" As soon as she nodded, he sent one last glare toward Percy before speed walking out of the room. He could feel the eyes on him, could hear the whispers that went about the hall. What had gotten into him? He could never be sure. Maybe it was his need to protect his family, maybe it was his need to keep whatever good he had in his life.

* * *

"Why did you do that?" Annabeth hissed, pulling Percy aside before he could follow his house to his dormitory. "You never start fights! And talk about giving us away!"

Percy sighed at the expected lecture. "I'm sorry... I wasn't thinking."

"No shit."

He put his hands up in surrender. "I'm sorry. You should have seen how that guy was hanging on him."

"So he has a friend." Annabeth shrugged. "Why does that matter?"

"What if he's cheating on Will?" Percy asked. "Not to mention he's like eleven years old. Is that the Mist?"

"I don't know." Annabeth crossed her arms. "And he's not cheating on Will with that guy."

"How do you know?"

"That guy's as straight as a ruler." Annabeth sighed. "Just...stay calm next time. No need to get so defensive."

"Nico's my family."

"I know."

"He's my little cousin."

"I know."

"They're taking my little cousin away from us," Percy whispered. "Did you see him? He likes it here. That's probably why he never told us where he was going."

"Percy... I'm sure that's not it." Annabeth wrapped her arms around his waist. "At least he's alive. Let's get to bed and try to talk to him in the morning. You can still catch up with your house."

Percy nodded. "Fine... Goodnight, Annie."

"Night, Seaweed Brain."

* * *

"Are you okay?" Dominic sat next to Nico on the bed, frowning at the motionless lump that was hidden beneath the blankets. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I've seen him before..." Nico whispered, his voice as broken as Dominic had ever heard it. "My dream, with the cabin... I saw him and he saw me... Does that mean all those other dreams were real? The voices? That dark place? Even the possibility of that place existing scares the absolute shit out of me."

"Oh..." Dominic gulped. "I... Yeah, that sounds pretty bad... But you don't have to think about it. Think about maybe meeting some old friends, not about that place."

"Do you really think they were my friends?" Nico asked.

"Yeah, course." Dominic pulled his knees up to his chest. "The one almost fought me. He obviously really cared about you, almost like family. Do you think you two could be related?"

Nico pulled the blanket from his face, revealing his tear soaked cheeks. "I don't know...I don't know anything anymore, Dominic. Everything's falling apart."

"It's not falling apart. This is what you wanted." Dominic smiled, though his feelings didn't match. "You can figure out who you were. You can meet your old friends, discover your past. You won't be so confused anymore. You won't think you're insane."

"What if I get my memories back?" Nico questioned. "I...I don't want to remember that place. It must have been really prominent if I still have nightmares about it."

"Yeah, that's true..." Dominic admitted. "But you obviously survived it. So you can kick its ass again."

Nico wiped at his raw eyes. "I don't think it'll be so easy."

"You don't know until you try."

Try. All he had to do was try. Was anything so easy?


	17. Chapter 16

Nico woke from a night of constant terror, having forgotten to go to the forest to fight off those demonic nightmares. That place, as dark as ever, had been at the front of them. Maybe it really meant something, maybe it was important. Yet as terrifiying as it was, for his own sake and sanity, he blocked it from his mind when he woke.

He couldn't take it. Not today.

There's an odd sense of calmness before a battle, before a match, before the big showdown. It's the calm before the storm. You prepare yourself, you take it in as long as you can. You don't know when that calmness will hit you again.

Nico felt this calmness as he got dressed, as he threw those robes on and brushed his teeth. The mirror reflected him, showed those dark eyes and haunted soul. He didn't look.

His shoes were too small, a hand-me-down of George or Fred's. They clung to his small feet and made them even smaller. The bones of his ankles stuck out over the top, but the robes hid all from sight.

He ignored the reflectant windows as he sat on his bed and waited for the other Hufflepuffs to wake up.

Would they realize something was wrong? Would they see that these exchange students meant trouble?

As Dominic woke up his eyes immediately moved to Nico, his sleepy eyes half open in curiosity. "You okay?"

"Yeah, almost breakfast time." Nico grabbed his wand and ran his finger over the smooth wood. "You should get ready. I'm not going down alone."

Dominic sat up, his hair as messy as Nico's from the constant turning in his sleep. "Okay, okay. I'm up." He stood up and stretched, his old pajamas as ratty as Nico's hand-me-downs. "Have you talked to Allyson lately?"

Nico shook his head. "No... Why?"

Dominic grabbed his clothes as a blush escaped over his cheeks. "You know why."

"You're still that into her?"

"You bet."

Nico rolled his eyes as he ran a hand through his hair, trying to flatten the dark mess. Where had the curls come from? What family member of his had them?

* * *

They walked down to the Great Hall together with their bags and wands. Schoolboys, they could be called. Innocents. They looked the part if you didn't look in their eyes.

Nico stepped one foot into the Great Hall before he was stopped short, the exchange student immediately in front of him. Percy...

"Can we talk?" he asked, his green eyes full of desperation. "Privately. Please."

Nico looked into the eyes and felt a deep sense of home. Before he could think, the words escaped his mouth. "Yeah... I know where we can go."

"Nico." Dominic grabbed his shoulder. "Are you sure?"

Nico looked to his friend for some time before nodding. "I...I need to get this done, Dominic... I really need to get this done. Maybe things will make sense."

"And we don't need you there." Percy gestured for Dominic to leave. "It's private."

Dominic clenched his fists. "That isn't for you to decide. If Nico wants me there, I'll be there."

Loyalty. Fatal flaws of many, not just heroes.

"It's okay, Dominic." Nico gestured to the Hufflepuff table. "Go eat and get my work from our classes. I'll meet up with you at lunch."

"You're just gonna skip?"

"Yep."

Dominic sighed at the expected rule breaking. "Fine. I'll see you at lunch."

"Thanks, Dom." Nico looked to Percy, stared into those green eyes. "Follow me."

* * *

The shadows loomed in on them as they walked. Percy followed in silence, his eyes never leaving Nico as if he expected him to fade away with the ghosts. Could a night's sleep take away such shock? It didn't for him.

Shock. Exhaustion at the end of a hunt. Fear at what was next.

Nico entered the woman's bathroom, his dark hair bristling with a cold breeze. As Percy followed, he saw the ghost of a teenage girl sitting on one of the sinks. "Nico...is this safe?"

Nico sighed as Mrytle disappeared, knowing by now that she didn't want to make him mad. Why? He still wasn't sure.

"Just sit and explain yourself," Nico commanded. "Who are you? What's wrong with me?"

At the first question, Percy's heart dropped. "You don't know who I am?"

Nico sat on the cold ground and put his head in his hands. "I saw you at that cabin. I don't know how that happened. That's all I know of you. Should I know you?"

Percy glared at the ceiling as if it had caused all their problems. "Somebody took your memories? How am I not surprised..."

"I have most of them," Nico mumbled. "I remember growing up with my stupid brothers and my overprotective mother. I remember getting my Hogwarts letter. I just don't remember anything before they found me."

"Before they found you...?"

Nico looked up at Percy. "I was found when I was five by the Weasley's. They took me in and raised me. I'm a wizard though we don't know who my parents are... I've had a lot of nightmares and I can move the shadows. Can you? Do you know how to travel through them like I did that one day?"

Percy paled, paled until his face felt like pins and needles. Then, before he could say a word, he stumbled until he was sitting with a severe sense of nausea. "Holy shit..."

"Are you okay?" Nico asked, looking up at the older boy. "What's wrong?"

"...we need Annabeth..."


	18. Chapter 17

After Percy made sure Nico wouldn't leave the bathroom, he took off down the hall in what he hoped to be the right direction. His heart raced out of his chest, adrenaline filled his veins. It wasn't right, this couldn't be right. If Nico was feeling what Percy had felt when his own memories had been wiped, he would never forgive who did it to him.

Were those memories with the Weasley's fake? Or did something else unexplainable happen? He couldn't be sure, not when he was the son of a god at a school for witches and wizards.

"ANNABETH!" as soon as he caught sight of those blonde curls he ran a little faster. "Annabeth! Come here!"

She turned from Piper to look at her boyfriend with hope. "Did you talk to him? I saw you two leave... Where is he? What's wrong?"

"We need you." Percy grabbed her hand. "Follow me."

"Is he okay?" Piper asked. "I can update Will..."

"Tell him that he's alive and that Percy and I are talking to him," Annabeth instructed. "Percy, lead me."

"Got it." Piper grabbed a drachma from Annabeth's pocket before running off, leaving Annabeth to follow Percy through the dark hallways of Hogwarts. Hogwarts... It was beautiful, its architecture was magnificent. Even if they got Nico home, she had to spend some time here.

Even if she wasn't a witch.

"This way." Percy got to the bathroom after some weird looks from the students of Hogwarts. Weren't the exchange students supposed to be in class? Probably. Did Percy care? Not really.

"He's in here. The bathroom is empty." Percy opened the door, relaxing when he saw Nico sitting in the same spot. "Nico, we're here. This is my girlfriend, Annabeth. She's the smart one."

Nico looked up at the two demigods, his dark eyes full of the shadows he commanded. "Are you going to explain, now?" His voice had never been darker. "I'm done with this, I'm done. It's ruining my life."

"Yeah, I'll explain." Annabeth kneeled down in front of him. "Can I know everything you know?"

Nico told her what he had just explained to Percy before looking into her eyes. "Now tell me who I was. Tell me what's wrong with me." His voice broke. "Please. I just want to be normal."

Annabeth sat with a pale, shocked expression before she let out a low breath. "You may not believe me... But I will tell you. Maybe then your memories will open up."

"Go for it."

Annabeth looked up at Percy before looking back to Nico. "You said you were taught by Mrs. Weasley... So you probably don't know what Greek gods are-"

"I do." Nico interrupted. "I looked them up with Dominic cause that voice said I was a child of Hades, remember? I looked it up and apparently, he's the Greek god of the Underworld."

"Yeah, that's right." Annabeth bit her lip. "What would you say to him being real? And all the other gods, as well."

Nico looked down at his dirty fingernails. In the moment, he finally realized he had already accepted that to be true. "So I'm a god?"

"Half god." Percy corrected. "Your mother was a mortal."

"Muggle," Annabeth remembered the slang used by the wizards, already having heard it ten times since she had been there. "Your mother wasn't a goddess. She was just a normal human."

"And a witch," Nico mumbled. "I had to have gotten that from somewhere. Where is she? Why'd she give me away?"

Percy and Annabeth shared a look. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

"Hey, you." Dominic stopped the girl before she could get into the Great Hall for lunch. "You're one of the exchange students, right?"

She nodded. "Piper McLean. What do you want?"

"Do you know where they took Nico?" he asked. "He said he'd be here for lunch and he's not."

"...They really aren't back?"

He shook his head, his cheeks slightly more pink than they had been when he first walked up. "Nope. Did they tell you where they were going?"

She shook her head. "I went to talk to my friend back home in America... You know your way around this castle, right?"

He nodded. "Course. I've been going to school here for over a month."

"Then you're taking me around to find them." she grabbed his arm, holding onto his robes. "Lead me. I saw a staircase moving and I'm not messing with that."

He couldn't help but blush worse as he watched her hand. No nail polish, no perfect nails. Her hand was still beautiful. "Y-Yeah, okay. Let's go. I've got a couple of places in mind but the teachers might call me out for missing class."

She smiled, her lips empty of lipstick but still a beautiful color. "Leave that to me."

"What are you going to do?" he asked, starting out of the hall. "They're strict, you know."

"Oh, I know." she kept close to him to avoid the wizards and witches that went by. His arm felt how Jason's used to feel. "Just watch and learn."

"If I get detention, it's your fault," he warned, but his heart wasn't in it. Even the warning of getting in trouble couldn't wipe the smile off his face. "Time to track some troublemakers down."

"You bet."


	19. Chapter 18

**AN: Dominic and Piper won't get together. He just has a crush on her like everyone else tbh. There's too much of an age gap and...if you've read the latest trials of apollo book...i don't think she's ready for that.**

 **And PS Annabeth and Percy are older than any students there but they're fitting in as Seventh Years**

* * *

After Annabeth had finished explaining, Nico sat with his head buried in his hands. Dark shadows circled around him, ran over the floors and walls. If she didn't know any better, she'd look at him and say it was the same Nico she had always known.

But he wasn't. He wasn't Nico di Angelo anymore. He had memories of growing up in this wizarding world, had emotional ties to everyone there. Had that been the gods' plan? Had they wanted to get rid of one of the most powerful demigods?

Or was something brewing, did they need him here?

Whatever the case, she finally let herself be in mourning of one of her best friends.

"There you are." Piper burst into the bathroom with Dominic close behind. "I had the kid that was hanging out with Nico lead me." She glanced around at the sullen faces. "What?"

"I think the gods sent him back in time...but also de-aged him," Annabeth mumbled. "I really don't think it's just memories. He...he actually grew up here. They wouldn't have taken him so long ago if they were just going to fill his brain with fake memories."

"Oh..." Piper cleared his throat. "Does he remember anything before that yet?"

Nico shook his head as he stood up. "So...so please leave me alone. Go back to wherever you came from."

Percy put his own head in his hands. His voice was merely a whisper. "Nico..."

"Nico, wait." Annabeth grabbed his arm before he could get to Dominic, who stood beside the door. "You can still move shadows...you transported yourself back to camp..."

Nico nodded. "Yeah, I know."

"We can help you learn to control it." Annabeth reminded him. "We're demigods, too. We can help you control it. And then...after you're good with that...if you still want us to leave, we will."

Nico stared into her gray eyes, his jaw clenched. After a minute of silence, he gave her a slight nod. "I'll talk to you about it tomorrow."

"Deal." she breathed out a sigh of relief. Even if it wasn't her Nico, even if he wasn't who he used to be, she'd still help him all he could. It was the least she could do for him.

After he left the room with Dominic, Annabeth turned to cast her eyes upon Piper and Percy. "We can train him... It'll buy us some time to come up with a game plan."

"You really think he'll get his memories back?" Percy asked. "You really think he'll want to after all of that?"

"We...we can't give up on him." Annabeth helped him to his feet. "Come on, we have classes... As soon as we're free, we're going to the library."

Percy groaned as Piper stifled a giggle. "Why?"

"We need to know everything we can about his new family," Annabeth explained. "It'll help us, trust me."

"Can't we just ask his brother?" Piper asked. "Like explain everything..."

"I refuse to talk to him." Percy inputted, his arms crossed.

Annabeth sighed. "You can't hate the kid. It's not his fault."

"He should have seen that something was wrong with Nico," Percy replied. "Having that many nightmares aren't normal. Hearing voices isn't normal."

Annabeth wrapped an arm around him. "We'll just stick to the library as I said. Come on, let's catch the end of lunch."

Percy rested his head on hers. "What are we going to tell Will?"

"What are you going to tell him." Piper corrected. "I'm not."

"Me, neither." Annabeth looked to Percy. "Tell him the truth."

Percy groaned. "Why me..."

"Because, we-" Annabeth cut herself off when she saw Nico's face reappear in the doorway. "Y...Yes?"

"You...have contact with Will?" Nico asked. He clung onto the door as if it would stop his shaking hands. "You really do?"

Percy nodded, his eyes lighting up. "Do you want to talk to him?"

Nico stared into those green eyes, tried to remember the times when he had stared into them as Nico di Angelo. "I...I want him here. Can you ask him to come?"

"Yeah, I will," Percy assured him. "I definitely will."

"Thank you." Nico stood there for a minute in silence, shuffling from one foot to the other. "Um...do you need a guide to lunch or are you good?"

Annabeth smiled at him. "That'd be nice. Thank you."

"Yeah, whatever." Nico shrugged. "You came here to help me so I thought I could pay you back."

She nodded at him. "Yeah, thank you. Let's get going before it's over."

"Follow me." Nico stepped out of the bathroom for the last time, meeting up with Dominic who waited not too far away. "They're coming."

"Good." Dominic kept his hands buried in his pockets as he watched the group exit the bathroom. "Are they getting Will for you?"

Nico nodded. "Yeah, they're asking him to come. I don't know if he will or not though..."

"Why wouldn't he?"

Nico cleared his throat. "Think of the age difference between us..." He looked to Annabeth and Percy. "He's much older than me, now, isn't he?"

Annabeth shrugged. "Seven, eight years."

"That's not that bad." Dominic tried, but Nico just started for the Great Hall with his head hanging low. Maybe Will would come, maybe he'd be nice. But could he ever fall in love with a Weasley when he was heartbroken over a di Angelo?


	20. Chapter 19

Will sighed as he sat beside the small cot. The young camper was nursing a broken ankle, having fallen from the rock wall after a scream had scared him enough to lose his grip. "You'll be fine. I'll give you some more ambrosia soon and you'll be good to go."

"But I broke it!" he argued. "I...I don't want to go back to the rock wall. I can't climb it with a broken ankle."

"It won't be broken in an hour." Will got the chart and flipped through it, his mind somewhere else instead of where it should be. Nico... Was he really alive? Why hadn't they told him more about the situation? _They're talking to him now,_ Piper had said. _He's alive._ Why was that all she had known?

"Will!" the kid's cry of pain broke him out of his thoughts. "It hurts!"

"Yeah, your ankle's gonna hurt." Will signed the chart before setting in on the table. Chiron had thought it'd be a good idea to keep track of the patients, to see which ones got injured more often. They needed more help than the others, more specialized training. They needed to be looked out for. "Just sit back and relax until you can have more-"

His words stopped as his eyes caught on to what was happening before him. When he saw that boy coughing up blood, when he looked into those pained eyes, it finally clicked. He finally saw what he should have seen hours before.

"Internal bleeding." he jumped to his feet, grabbed some nectar. "We're gonna have to risk more. Open up."

"But-"

"Open up!"

* * *

Nico laid his head on the wooden table, having sat with the Gryffindors at dinner to fill his brother in. So far, all he had gotten was warnings about Snape and a man named Nicolas Flammel. Even Harry didn't seem surprised at the fact that the Greek gods were real.

"It makes sense." Hermoine had stated, their voices low so that no others could overhear the conversation. She sat with a large book set out in front of her. "No wonder you were in exactly the right place for Ron's family to find you."

"But we still don't know why I'm here." Nico picked at his food in distaste. "Why would the gods send me here? Why would they give me to the Weasley's?"

"Whatever the case, don't tell mum," Ron warned. "She'll go bloody insane about it."

"I know, I wasn't planning on it." Nico looked to Hermoine. "Do you know anything else about Hades that they didn't tell me?"

"He's seen as the evil one in mythology," she admitted. "He rules over the Underworld and the tortured souls that stay there. But get this. It was his brothers that stuck him with that job to begin with. They tricked him into getting the Underworld when they were splitting everything up."

Nico glanced over at Ron, who hadn't stopped filling his mouth. "Well...if it's right, then you see why the gods hate me."

"They probably don't hate you." Ron offered. "They probably don't like that you're a wizard, too."

Hermoine and Nico shared a look. "That's actually a good idea," Hermoine voiced. "It would make sense why they never wanted you to know about that side of your powers."

Nico stabbed at his chicken in a sudden rush of fury. "They're idiots."

"They're not ones you should insult." Hermoine corrected, glancing toward the sky nervously. "If they are up there, they're probably listening."

Nico flung his fork on the table. "Then they can hear me tell them to fuck off."

"Nico!" Hermoine hissed. "That's dangerous." She looked to Harry and Ron, the boys having erupted into laughter. "It isn't funny!"

"He got his language from Fred and George, that's for sure." Ron commented.

"Just... Let's drop it." Nico went to stand up but Ron grabbed him, forcing him to stay in his seat. "What?"

"We forgot to tell you." Ron looked to Harry. "Harry, tell him what you saw. About Snape."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Snape is a perfectly good-"

"He tried getting passed that three headed dog." Harry explained. "On Halloween night, I saw the blood on his leg. That's why he's limping."

Nico sighed. "That could be from-... Halloween night? When the troll got in?"

"The troll was a distraction." Hermoine told him. "While the teachers were distracted with the troll, Snape tried to go get what the dog is guarding."

"He could do that at any time the teachers are sleeping." Nico reasoned. "Why would he cause so much of a disturbance as to let a troll in? He must have known that they would need him to help get rid of it."

"We can't understand that until we know what Fluffy's guarding." Hermoine leaned in closer. "Hagrid said that whatever it is, it's between Professor Dumbledore and Nicolas Flammel. We've been trying to look him up, but so far, we haven't found anything."

"Nicolas Flammel..." Nico shrugged. "Never heard of him. And I doubt he's as important as whatever gods are messing with me."

"We're just telling you to be careful of Snape." Ron inputted. "They say he likes you. Don't know how."

"Because I respect my teachers." Nico ran a hand through his hair. "Fine, fine. I'll watch out for him and tell you if I hear anything about Nicolas Flammel. Deal?"

Ron looked to Nico as he stood up. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Nico nodded. "Yeah, yeah." He stuffed his hands in his pockets before walking off, eyeing Snape as he did so. "I'm alright," he whispered to himself. "I'm alright."

He couldn't focus on the gods. Not when his world, the wizarding world, was brewing with trouble.


	21. Chapter 20

"Ron said that?" Dominic asked, throwing his books to the floor as he fell onto his bed. He never used a bag. "I knew Snape was bad but to go after something Dumbledore is hiding? That's more Voldemort bad."

"I know." Nico sat on his own bed. "It's idiotic, is what it is."

"What do you think the dog's guarding?" Dominic asked. "What would have wizards getting that kind of dog as a guard?"

Nico shrugged as he leaned back against the wall. "I have no idea. I can't think of anything that would make sense. Nicolas Flamel... Have you ever heard of him?"

"Nope."

"That's what I thought." Nico took his robe off and flung it to the floor where Dominic's had also landed. "Maybe I'll ask Annabeth tomorrow. She said she was the daughter of Athena. She should be smart."

"She's hot," Dominic commented. "Not as pretty as-"

"Allyson." Nico finished. "You like Allyson. You like any girl with a pulse. You like any guy with buzzed hair. You may even like some animals. We get it."

Dominic's cheeks turned red. "You're lucky we're in private, you know."

"And I'm lucky my hair isn't buzzed." Nico laid down. "If Will's is buzzed, I better not catch you staring at him."

"I won't, I won't," Dominic promised. "Just get some sleep. Did they ever say when he'll be here by?"

Nico shook his head. "I'll ask in the morning. I think Annabeth is actually taking her classes seriously but I don't know about the others."

"She's like a second Hermoine." Dominic glanced over as the door opened, another Hufflepuff coming in to ruin their conversation. "Goodnight, then."

"Goodnight."

* * *

Nico walked into the Great Hall to find the three transfer students sitting at the end of the Gryffindor table. Their heads were together as they ate, a book in front of Annabeth as it was in front of Hermoine, some ways away down the same table.

The look of them together sent shivers down Nico's spine. They made him think of old times but kept him unable to recall what those times actually were.

His hair had been getting longer. If he was back home, Mrs. Weasley would have cut it without a second thought. Now it scratched at his chin and nipped at his neck, curly and unruly from the night. It seems he never heard of a comb or brush.

His robes hung off his small frame. He had never been able to grow into anything of Fred and George's. He remained shorter than Ron, shorter than Harry and Hermoine. He remained shorter than anyone else.

"Annabeth." he made each of the demigods jump in their seats. "Can I sit for a minute?"

"Here," Percy patted the spot next to him. "What's wrong? What do you want to talk about? Did you remember anything?"

"Breathe, Percy." Annabeth watched Nico as he settled into the seat. "Let him talk."

"I just had a question." Nico grabbed a slice of toast and started to spread butter on it. "Have you talked to Will? When's he coming? Is he getting on a plane or what?"

"Oh..." Percy looked back down at his plate. "That's all you wanted to know... Well, it's good you care about him still. He's been missing you."

"Is he coming?"

"Yeah, he's coming," Annabeth answered. "Has to get a plane ticket and stuff. And he has some...things to tend to at camp before coming. He runs the Infirmary, remember?"

Nico nodded as he picked the crust off his toast. "He heals people? How'd he get with a son of death?"

Percy and Annabeth exchanged glances. "We're not sure," Percy admitted. "It happened after the Second Giant War, against Gaea."

"And who was that again?" Nico asked. "Gaea...Gaea... Doesn't ring a bell."

"It was the last war." Piper inputted. "People died. You and Will had to work together. By the time I got back to camp...you two were together. None of us really know for sure how it happened."

"Was it pity?" Nico asked. "Was he with me out of pity?"

Percy shook his head, a smile gracing his lips. "No, that I know for sure. He loved you, Nico. He still does."

"I'm a child compared to him," Nico muttered. "I'm like eleven."

"We might be able to get you back to your right age." Annabeth offered. "We're going to try. And we're going to try to get your memories back. But you won't forget these memories, I promise."

Nico crumbled the crust of his toast. "Fine... When's he coming?"

"He should be here by the end of the week." Annabeth guessed. "That should be at the longest."

Nico stood up, leaving his toast uneaten on the table. "Okay, thank you. I have to get to my classes, now. Unlike you, I'm actually a wizard." He stood there for a minute before letting himself smile. "That was a try at a joke. I don't know what my humor used to be, so get used to mine now."

He waved once before walking back to the Hufflepuff table, grabbing his bag from beside Dominic on the bench. "Ready?"

"Ready." Dominic stood up from the scraps left on his plate. "How'd it go?"

"Good." Nico cast one last glance to the ones he used to know before walking off with Dominic. "Will should be here by the end of the week. He's got healing stuff to do, I guess."

"That's good." Dominic dumped some of his books into Nico's bag. "Did they have anything else to say?"

Nico shrugged. "Don't know if I believe them. Annabeth said she could get me my memories back." He glanced over at Dominic. "But why would I want to remember such horrible times as two wars and a place like...like that pit?"

"That's true," Dominic admitted. "But if it comes... Take it. It'll help you see what you should really do. If you...if you want to stay in this world or not."

"Of course I'm staying in this world." Nico smiled as he pulled his wand from his pocket. "Have you seen what this thing can do? There's no way I'm giving it up."

Dominic chuckled as they got to one of the moving staircases. "But your powers...the ones from your father... They could also be awesome."

"Shadows, shadows," Nico shrugged. "Not very appealing. Especially if Will is all about light."

Dominic walked in silence for a minute before glancing over at Nico. "But if you and Will do hit it off again, if you do get your memories, then you're going to want to always be with him. And he can't stay at Hogwarts forever. He's a demigod, not a wizard. He doesn't belong in this world."

Nico clenched his jaw. "Yeah, well... I'll deal with that when we get to it." He felt the weight of his school bag, put his wand back in his pocket. "But right now, I have classes. I'm still a wizard."


	22. Chapter 21

Nico di Angelo, Nico Weasley. Whatever you called him, he was a boy with one body that had grown up twice, once delayed and the other not. He was a boy with hair that got curly when long, a boy with eyes as dark as his father's. He was a boy with two fathers, two mothers. One of each was somewhere in the Underworld forever.

He was a boy with two sisters, one dead and one alive. He was a boy with six brothers, all of whom saw him as the youngest. He was a boy with nightmares, a boy with fears. A boy too fearful to be put in Gryffindor and too good to be put in Slytherin. He was a boy seen as dark by an entire camp, seen as his father and as a murderer. He was a boy that had accepted himself and his sexuality.

Nico was a boy who had lived three lives: one before the Lethe, soaked in the blood of World War Two, caught in the middle of a family war, witness to his mother's death; another after the Lethe as he found out who he was and exactly why he could make those shadows move, why he could fight in those wars and save those demigods, why he was falling for a boy with blond hair; the last here in the wizarding world, with a family larger than he had ever had, with a family more loving than he had ever had, with school and a sense of purpose he had never felt before.

He was a boy with simple dreams: peace, quiet, to love and to be loved.

He was a boy that once cared too much. He was a boy that spent that second life worried about what others thought, worried about what his own father thought about him. He was a boy that, at one time, refused to accept his sexuality in hopes of fitting in. He had always been a boy scared of others and their thoughts as if they were as magical as the castle he now stayed in.

But then that all changed. His third life came, those memories and thoughts disappeared. He became a Weasley, and even that couldn't cause him embarrassment. Not when his brothers were at his side.

Maybe that was why he was so scared to get his memories back. Maybe he didn't want to realize what he had secretly known all along. That second life, that forgotten life, it was full of pain and suffering. Maybe that was why he had been so ready to forget it in the first place.

But as the days went on, Nico di Angelo peeked in, prodded at his sanity. Memories floated to the surface that had never been seen before. Not by Nico Weasley.

* * *

"Tomorrow's Friday." Nico jumped into his seat at the Hufflepuff table in the Great Hall. "Will should be here tomorrow."

"You're already as obsessed as I get and you haven't even seen him." Dominic stabbed at the unknown meat that sat on his plate. "You see how everyone is so obsessed with those new brooms? They're idiots if they want to waste money on those."

"Trust me, I know." Nico started to fill his own plate. "If I asked my mum for one, she'd think I was falling to a fever or something."

Nico. His accent had changed into something never heard before, something that only belonged to him. Hints of unknown accents, creeping in on certain words and phrases. Some were a different language entirely. British, for sure. Some American was in there. The others? Dominic accepted them as just...Nico.

And yet, it had changed for the better. He had someone to call mom with this stage of his speech.

"That might just be because you're terrified of flying," Dominic commented. "If you wanted a broom I'd think someone was using Polyjuice Potion."

Nico rolled his eyes as he finished filling his plate. The food was always more expensive and tasteful than Mrs. Weasley had ever been able to afford.

The Great Hall always roared with the voices of its students as they chatted over their dinner. The gossip, the news. The noise never stopped. Yet as it was the night before his own big day, Nico felt it was louder than usual.

Will...he'd be there soon.

"Have you talked to Allyson?" Nico finally asked, his eyes occupied with the exchange students and their odd habits. "I've barely seen her."

"I haven't seen her at all," Dominic replied bitterly. His meat was stabbed enough to fill his plate with scraps and pieces. "Don't see her in class, don't see her in the hallways. Haven't spoken to her at all."

"Damn." Nico glanced around the Great Hall in hopes to catch sight of the girl. "Wonder why she ran off after being so buddy buddy with us."

"She probably realized we're insane." Dominic stared down at his knife as if its meat coated blade could solve everything. "Ran off as soon as we were distracted."

"We may be insane but so is everyone else here." Nico pointed his fork at Percy Jackson, who sat still as Piper tried to stick as many spoons as possible to his face. "At least we don't do that."

"They never sit at their house tables." Dominic dropped his knife before rising to his feet. "I'm gonna go shower before everyone gets up there."

Nico didn't take his eyes off of the exchange students to notice his friends stiff movements. "Okay, I'll be up soon."

He felt the wind shift as Dominic walked off. The students kept talking on, the noise kept rising. He couldn't take his eyes off of Percy and Annabeth as a strange feeling washed over him.

A feeling of shared pain. What had they all gone through together? He felt as if they knew what it was like...what...

 _"The other side, Nico!" Percy was hanging from a ledge about fifteen feet below Nico. Below him, Annabeth clung to Percy above the total darkness, above the shadows that didn't listen. "We'll see you there, understand?"_

 _Nico heard his own voice, felt his own emotions at the time. Nico di Angelo's. "But-"_

 _"Lead them there!" Percy shouted. "Promise me!"_

 _Promise...lead them there...promise...to protect them..._

 _"I-...I will." Nico stuttered._

He watched them fall into that pit, saw them fall into the Hell he had endured. They knew... They knew what it was like.

Nico stood up, felt his robes shift around him as he walked from the Hufflepuff table. He could feel the stares, he knew they noticed his oddness. He kept walking. Some called out in confusion, didn't follow. Nico didn't turn back.

"You two." Nico came up behind Percy in the silence worthy of an assassin. "You fell, too. I saw it. I watched it. It could have been my fault for all I know. But you two fell. You understand."

Annabeth's eyes filled with something besides their usual wiseness. "Yeah, we did. We fell after you."

"The nightmares..." Nico swallowed thickly. "They only stop for the night if I train too hard. How do I stop them for good?"

Percy pulled Nico into the seat next to him. "We wish we knew, Neeks. We wish we knew." He wrapped an arm around Nico's shoulders, pulled him into a half hug. "Just stick to reality like we do."

Annabeth smiled as she reached a hand out to take hold of Nico's. "Focus on your friends. Focus on your family. That's all you can do. Maybe, someday, they'll be gone. We can only hope."

Nico leaned into her, his dark eyes on the hand that Percy held. They treated him like family, treated him as friends. Could he leave them? It was the least bit tempting as leaving the wizarding world.

But could you live in both? Could you be a demigod wizard? Could you not be hated for it?

Hate. It came from fear. Maybe that was why he chose love that day. He wanted courage worthy of the Gryffindors around him. So he made a bet with himself, a promise. He'd try his best to be a bridge between the worlds, try his best to keep each peaceful. Maybe then he could do the same to his soul, to his warring personalities.


	23. Chapter 22

"We should head up to our common rooms." Nico sat up with a dazed expression, having almost fallen asleep against Percy's warm body. Next to him, he felt as he did next to Ron or the twins. "We all need some rest. Will comes tomorrow."

"Yeah, he does." Annabeth smiled as she rose to her feet. "Then we can start training. Any ideas where?"

Nico nodded. "I'll show you after dinner tomorrow." He sat in silence for a minute before speaking. "Was Will excited to be able to meet me again?"

"He..." Percy looked to Annabeth for help. "He..."

"Is nervous." Annabeth admitted. "Apparently you and him were kissing and stuff and now...your age..."

Nico scowled. "Of course."

"Sorry." Annabeth put a hand on his shoulder. "But at least you can see him. We can figure it all out. I promise. McGonagall gave me access to the Restricted Section and everything."

Nico raised his eyebrows. "She gave you access? So she knows the...situation?"

Annabeth nodded. "Chiron and Dumbledore are old friends. That's how we got in so easy. Dumbledore told McGonagall and Snape."

"Oh," Nico blinked twice before looking to the teacher's table. Sure enough, both Snape and McGonagall were watching them. "Now they're gonna judge me... Apparently Hades is seen as the bad guy."

Annabeth and Percy exchanged glances, Piper having gone to her own common room not long before the Tartarus talk.

"He's not the bad guy." Percy finally stated. "He's messed with us less than the other gods."

Nico sighed. "They don't know that. They just know the mythology." He frowned. "Wait a second."

"What is it?" Annabeth asked. "Are you okay?"

Nico scowled. "If my dad is a god...why did he let all of this happen to me? Why'd he let the gods do this to me? The voice..." He froze, remembering that one sentence. "It said...it said 'Hades won't allow anymore mind wiping'."

Annabeth paled. "Oh gods... So he knew..."

 _The gods don't need to know that, son of Hades._ The voice came again for the first time in weeks. _It's between me and Hades, young demigod. It will stay that way._

Nico's voice shook, his heart dropped, but he relayed what it said. "What's...what's that mean? I...I'm not used to gods and stuff like you guys are. I'm not used to being in danger."

"You're going to have to get used to it." Percy mumbled. "Sounds like they really do have something in mind for you."

"Percy..." Annabeth sent him a warning look before returning her eyes to Nico. "The voice is female you said, right?"

Nico nodded, causing Annabeth to look around. "Where are you going?"

"Library." she pulled Percy up. "I can talk to McGonagall and she'll let me after hours. Percy, you're coming."

"But..." Percy sighed. "You're not going to let me get any sleep, are you?"

Annabeth shook her head before pointing to Nico. "You go sleep. You have classes tomorrow and Will's coming. You can't let your grades drop just because of a voice." She leaned in so no one could overhear. "Just because we're not wizards doesn't mean you aren't. You're going to actually have these powers all your life. So learn them."

"You've got me there." Nico stood up and stretched. "Don't stay out too late. You need sleep, too."

Annabeth nodded once before dragging Percy away, leaving Nico alone at the Gryffindor table. The voice hadn't spoken again, hadn't given its input, but he could feel it watching, waiting, keeping track of everything Nico did and thought.

It was unnerving. It was terrifying. It sent his heart rate up and sent his hope down.

It sent him to the forest that night to train with the shadows in hopes he wouldn't hear the voice in his dreams.

* * *

He got up to the Hufflepuff dormitory well after midnight. Most of the boys were asleep, but Nico found Dominic awake with his eyes staring at the ceiling without any emotion. The room was colder than usual.

"Are you okay?" Nico sat beside Dominic, frowning at that scent. So familiar, so different... "What's wrong? What happened?"

Dominic's eyes didn't move from their position. "Nothing. Go sleep."

The scent didn't let up. Memories banged against the walls in Nico's mind. "Dominic... I can tell something's wrong."

"You've got more problems than me." Dominic sat up. His face was wet with tears. "I'm just a kid from a dirt poor family. You've got gods to worry about."

Nico glanced away. "What happened? You got a letter at breakfast, didn't you?"

Dominic nodded, pulling the crumbled paper from his pocket. "The only time mum sends me a letter."

Nico took the paper carefully, making sure not to read it if Dominic didn't want him to. He didn't protest, however, leaving Nico to open the letter and read through the ink splattered lines.

 _Dominic,_

 _I'_ _m sorry my first letter has to be this. I promised I would write but money has been tight. I hope you're not mad._ _Your father's work laid off a lot of their workers. He had to get a job that pays less. We might need you home so you can work. You can get paid under the table and the government won't know._ _I've sent a letter to your headmaster to send you back home. I know you love this magic stuff, but unless it can grow money we need you home. I'm sorry, I really am._ _Stay safe until you come back._

 _Love,_

 _Mum_

"Shit..." Nico looked up to Dominic as he felt his own face pale. "That...that's not right. She can't force you home."

"Yeah, she can." Dominic took the letter back, his robes stuck to his wrist. "And she is. I...I don't want to, Nico. I don't want to turn into them. Dad was working since he was nine. Its almost killed him."

Nico reached over to grasp Dominic's hand, not surprised when he felt how sticky it was. "It's going to be okay. Just let me try to fix it. I'll...I'll talk to Dumbledore."

"What can _he_ do?" Dominic asked. "He's just an old wizard. My parents are muggles. We're just lucky this place doesn't have tuition."

"Then I'll help." Nico stood up. "Give me tonight. I'll get something done. I remember reading... I'll get something done."

Dominic eyed Nico for some time before finally nodding. Dark circles clung to the bottom of his eyes, worry lines marked his face. As he laid back onto the bed, he spread his arms out as if he simply forgot they were there.

Nico watched him to make sure he fell asleep before quietly pulling the robes off Dominic's arms, making sure to heal whatever harm there was before slipping from the Hufflepuff dorms, and then out of the Common Room. The shadows still listened, still clung to him when he wanted. As he snuck through the castle, he was seen as shadows and only as such.

He got to the Restricted Section of the library to find that Percy and Annabeth had indeed gained late night access. Annabeth had her nose in a book while Percy tried balancing a pencil on the bridge of his nose.

Before Nico could make himself known, Annabeth looked up from her book to stare at Percy.

"Percy." she let the book drop from her hands and onto the table. "You're not focusing."

The pencil dropped from Percy's face as he looked at his girlfriend. "Hey, I was actually thinking."

"Really?" she smiled. "About what?"

"Nico." he shrugged. "If he really is a wizard...like by blood...then his mother had to be one, right?"

Annabeth nodded. "Yeah, he never really knew her so it could be possible."

Percy pointed to her book. "Are you still researching the Weasley's?"

Annabeth nodded. "We need to know where this Nico came from."

"What about his di Angelo side?" Percy asked. "What if the book has stuff about his real mother? She was a wizard."

Annabeth looked at him for a minute before shrugging. "This book is all about Pureblood families. There's a good chance that she wasn't one."

Di Angelo...Purebloods...it finally clicked where Nico had heard that name before.

"It was!" Nico advanced toward them in a mixture of excitement and anxiety. "The di Angelo's were a Pureblood family."

Both demigods nearly jumped out of their seats at the sudden voice. "Nico!" Annabeth looked at him in shock. "You're still..."

"Sneaking through shadows?" Nico guessed, sitting next to Percy. "Yeah, I learned how to control them. They can stick to me as I walk."

"You're still Nico." Percy decided, a smile gracing his lips.

Nico glanced at him. "You hide your smarts. I just realized, though, too. The di Angelo's. I've heard about them."

Annabeth stared at him. "Wait. Did you come to eavesdrop on us?"

Nico shook his head. "I had a question. It can wait a second."

"Okay, what'd you hear?"

"They were a Pureblood magic family." Nico picked at the hangnails that hung from his fingers. "The one di Angelo got pregnant. Everyone hated her for it. She had a daughter. Then she had a son and was disgraced. Her and the kids disappeared. They never found out what happened."

Annabeth quickly flipped through the book. "Do you think she's your mother? The woman in the story?"

Nico shrugged. "It's almost a legend now, to show how old school Purebloods can be."

"Found them." Annabeth's eyes scanned over the book. "Last heirs, Maria di Angelo and her two kids, Bianca and Nicolas di Angelo." She looked up at Nico. "Your real name is Nicolas?"

"Ew," Nico shrugged. "Explains how I never actually heard 'Nico di Angelo' before."

Annabeth's eyes moved back to the book. Nico looked to Percy, saw something familiar in those green eyes. "Hey, Percy... I have a problem."

Percy turned to completely face him. "Lay it on me."

"My friend, Dominic," Nico started. "He's in Hufflepuff, First Year, with me. His family is dirt poor and his dad got laid off. His mom is gonna force him home to work to help pay bills."

"Can't wizards just abracadabra money out of thin air?" Percy asked.

Nico sighed. "His parents are muggles and no, they can't do that."

"Oh," Percy replied. "Um...well,..."

"You can give him the money he'd be making every month." Annabeth broke in. "So he doesn't have to go home."

"And where will I be getting that money?" Nico asked. "If you've been reading on the Wesley's then you should know that we're poor, too."

"I could tell by your robes." Annabeth pointed to the book. "But apparently the di Angelo's had a lot of money...like a _lot_. What if your mother left you some?"

"What am I supposed to do, ask Hades?" Nico scowled. "No way in hell."

"I'll ask Dumbledore." Annabeth closed the book. "You two need to get to bed, though. It's late. And tomorrow..."

Nico grinned. "Wills coming."


	24. Chapter 23

Dominic woke up to find Nico fretting about the room, his robes thrown on and..."Did you iron your robes?"

Nico jumped in surprise before looking to Dominic. "Hm?"

"Your robes." Dominic pointed to them. "Where'd the wrinkles go?"

"I had Hermione use a spell." Nico spread his arms. "Do they look good?"

Dominic nodded. "Yeah, I guess. But you don't look...normal."

"I tried brushing my hair." Nico brought a hand to the curly strands. "Does it look stupid?"

"I would make it messy again," Dominic admitted. "You don't want to look preppy."

Nico quickly messed his hair up. "How are you feeling? Okay?"

Dominic shrugged. "It's probably my last day at Hogwarts, so not great. But you shouldn't worry about that. Will's coming."

Nico put his tie on before grabbing his shoes. "You're staying. I'll make sure of it."

"How?"

"Just relax." Nico smiled. "Today's a good day. I can feel it."

"That's good..." Dominic looked down. "...for you..."

Nico didn't seem to hear as he grabbed his bag. "Come on, get your stuff. Let's get down to breakfast."

"I still need to get dressed." Dominic gestured to his robes. "Head down, I'll meet you there."

Nico kept on messing with his hair. "Alright, don't take too long." He walked out of the room with his thoughts on Will, with his thoughts on Dominic, with his thoughts on demigods and wizards alike.

Had the gods wanted him to live in two worlds? Had that been their goal all along? He could hardly make up his mind.

How could you decide the intentions of someone you've never met?

He loved his place in the wizarding world. He loved his family, loved his friends. He loved Hogwarts and what he was learning. Yet deep down, somewhere he couldn't understand, he loved being a demigod. He loved Will.

Yet why was it so hard to accept the fact that he didn't want to go back to wherever the demigods came from?

Guilt. Maybe that was it. Maybe he knew what it took to bring those demigods there. Maybe he saw what he meant to them. He didn't want to disappoint them. But was he still the boy they were looking for? None of them knew for sure.

Nico got to the Great Hall when the feeling of excitement completely hit him. Today was the day. It was finally time to see the true love of his life. He missed him, missed him more than anything. Will was the only thing pulling him toward the demigod world.

Nico had never run towards someone before. He had never felt the need to close the distance so quickly. Yet there he was, jogging toward the boy. Will...he stood by Percy at the Gryffindor table, getting ready to sit down.

"Will..." Nico stopped beside him. He was a couple feet shorter, maybe not even reaching Will's shoulders. "Will..."

Will looked down at Nico as pain leaked into his blue eyes. His hands shook as he pulled Nico into a hug. "You're alive..."

Nico buried his head in Will's chest, felt himself calm at the warmness of it. He stood in silence, stood in utter peace as he finally found the other part to himself, to his soul. Only with Will did he believe in soulmates. Only with Will...

He wasn't aware that he was crying until he felt how wet Will's shirt had become. When had the tears stopped? He could never remember.

At some point, he led Will to his bed, and there they laid in each other's arms. No kissing, no physical interactions. Just peace. They laid cuddled into each other, buried beneath blankets. They laid with no thought of what was to come except that they would be together.

It was around lunchtime when Will spoke. The room was empty, silent. "So, you remember me?"

Nico didn't bother to look up, his eyes shut and his head leaning into Will's neck. "I remember your face and your name. I can feel how much I love you. That's...that's it."

Will moved his fingers to Nico's hair, playing with the stands. "Your hair is the same. And your eyes. But you-you're different."

Nico's grip on Will's shirt tightened. "Do you not like how I've changed?"

"I'll always love you, Nico," Will promised. "I always will." He paused, took a deep breath. "You're happy now, you know. You're carefree. And that's amazing. But your age..."

"Annabeth said she'll try to get me back to normal," Nico replied desperately. "And she might be able to."

"But if she doesn't?" Will asked. "What then?"

"I...I don't know." Nico felt another tear slip out. "But I need you."

"I've been thinking a lot about this, Nico. Ever since Percy told me." Will wet his lips. "Let me ask you this, Nico. Do you plan on continuing your wizarding education passed this year?"

Nico nodded. "Course. I love Hogwarts."

Will's hand stopped, falling still on Nico's head. "Then you should stay the age you are."

"Huh?" Nico picked his head up to face Will. "What do you mean?"

"You can't suddenly age eight years and come back and expect to fit in with your class," Will explained. "It just won't work. So after you graduate, we'll figure it out then."

"Will..."

"You know I'm right." Will smiled though he was crying. "We'll get your memories back and we'll train you and you'll stay here. Then, after you're done with school, we'll focus on the age problem. You...you're a wizard, Nico. You always have been even if you never realized it. Nico di Angelo...he was a wizard. You, you're a wizard. You have to train for it."

Nico shook as sobs racked his body. "But I need you!"

Will's eyes broke. "I need you, too, Nico."

Nico laid his head on Will's chest as he let himself cry, his grip never loosening. Will, his Will...his Will...

"I love you," Nico choked out. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Will wiped at his own face. "I love you, too."

"What if things had been different?" Nico asked. "If the gods hadn't done this to me. Would we have been together?"

Will nodded. "We were meant to be, Nico. We both knew it. In that world...we were together."

Nico closed his eyes as tight as he could, tried to convince himself that he was dreaming. "We were good together?"

"The best."

"I made you happy?"

"More than anything else."

"Will you wait for me?"

Will hesitated, felt his smile falter. "It depends on where we both are at that time. I'm a demigod, Nico. I might not even be alive."

Nico shook some more but didn't pull away. His voice broke, taking with it any composer the boys had left. "Okay."

Will looked up at the ceiling, the cold air hitting his raw eyes. "Just know that I love you. Just know that."


	25. Chapter 24

Annabeth stepped out of Dumbledore's office with the key held close to her chest. Knowledge of Nico's family filled her brain, sparked new ideas and old. He was a wizard, that much was certain. He was a wizard that was picked by the gods for a reason. If they had wanted one powerful in both magic and demigod abilities, he was the go-to man.

But she still didn't know exactly what they needed him for. And that killed her to think about.

The di Angelo's. According to Dumbledore, they had been a higher and richer wizarding family than the books let on. Maria, Nico's mother, was known for her looks and charms. Unlike the rest of her family, she took a liking to Muggles and half-bloods (in the wizarding sense). When she first got pregnant, it had been a scandal. No one had ever seen the guy before, nor had she been married to him. Her daughter was birthed in secret.

When Nico was born it got worse. The higher-ups looked down upon Maria, the other rich families grew by pushing the di Angelo's down. Eventually, Maria and her two kids disappeared along with a large chunk of the di Angelo's money.

And now, according to Dumbledore, all that money belonged to Nico and was sitting in the wizarding bank, waiting to be opened by the key in her hand.

"Excuse me," Annabeth stopped one of the yellow ties in the hall. "Can you lead me to your common rooms? I need to talk to my friend, Nico."

"Weasley?" the girl nodded. "Yeah, course. Follow me." She looked to Annabeth as she walked. "You got sorted into Ravenclaw, right?"

Annabeth nodded. "Though I can't say I've been around them much. I've got some family things happening that are taking up a lot of my time."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Is everything okay?"

Annabeth didn't stop making a mental map of the castle as they walked. "Yeah, it'll turn out okay." She eyed one of the ghosts that drifted by. "What's up with the ghosts?"

The girl shrugged. "They've always been a part of this place, I guess. You get used to them. Did you not have them at your old school?"

Annabeth shook her head as they got to the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room. "Never." She looked to the girl once it was open. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

"No problem." she directed Annabeth to Nico's dormitory before heading out. "I've got to get going. Maybe I'll see you again some time?"

"Yeah, sure." Annabeth waited until she was alone before going to Nico's room, knocking on the door. "Nico, Will? Can I come in?"

"Yeah, come in, Annabeth," Will replied. "No one else is here."

"Good." Annabeth came into the room quickly and closed the door behind her. "Nico, I have a solution to your Dominic problem." She frowned, glancing between the two as she noticed the tears and sad eyes. "Is everything okay?"

Nico buried his head back into Will's chest, not answering nor commenting on what she had said. After a minute of silence, Will took his eyes off of him to look to Annabeth. "Yeah... We had to break up, you know. He's got to finish school and until he does, we can't get him back to his normal age. And by that time..."

Annabeth nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry... Nico, you'll be okay?"

Nico nodded into Will's chest, his voice merely a whisper. "I need my memories...but as long as I know that he's alive...I guess it's okay."

"That's a good thought process to have." her voice had lost its pride as her accomplishment now seemed nothing more than ordinary. If she could help these two, that'd be the ultimate accomplishment. "So...Will, are you going back home?"

Will nodded. "I'll get on a plane tomorrow. Nico and I...we can cuddle for one more night."

"Actually...you should get on one now." Annabeth looked to Nico. "Nico, I know a way to help Dominic. But you'd be...shadow traveling...all night. Do you think you can do it?"

Nico picked his head up to stare at her. "I'd be _what_?"

"Moving through the shadows," Annabeth explained. "Like you did that one night you went to your cabin."

Nico shrugged. "I could try... Tell me what I'd have to do."

Annabeth held the key out. "You have an account at the wizarding bank."

"You mean a vault?" he took the key. "At Gringotts?"

"Sure." she looked to Will. "Want me to set up a plane with Chiron?"

"No, I'll be fine." he looked to Nico, moved some hair out of the younger boy's face. "Are you going to be okay?"

Nico nodded as he looked up from the key. "I'll...I'll send you letters."

Will smiled. "And I'll always return them."

Nico looked to Annabeth. "The vault is under di Angelo?"

Annabeth nodded. "Dumbledore said your mother left it all to you and... Bianca."

Nico's eyes widened as the name stabbed at his heart with a steady beat of pain. "W-Who?"

"She was your sister." Will held his hand. "She died when you were ten."

"How?"

"She went on a quest." Annabeth sat on Nico's other side. "She died saving the others. She was a real hero in the end."

Nico took a deep breath, felt the pain ebb away. "Okay... Okay. Does Dumbledore know to postpone sending Dominic home?"

Annabeth nodded. "All of that is done."

"Okay, I should get ready." he put the key in his pocket. "Will...promise you'll be okay?"

"I should be asking you the same question." Will looked to Nico for another minute before rising to his feet. "I need to go. Camp needs me."

"Yeah, okay." Nico smiled though it never reached his eyes. "Goodbye... Goodbye, Will."

"Goodbye, Nico."

* * *

 _"Updates?"_

 _"Your son is doing surprisingly well. He's stayed with the wizards even though those meddling demigods got in the way."_

 _"Remember our agreement. If he gets harmed or killed doing this dirty work for you..."_

 _"I know, I know. He'll be fine. I'm watching him as he continues on. Don't worry, Hades. He's more than capable of completing this task."_

 _"I know who the blame if something happens."_

Nico stumbled out of the shadows and into one of the dark halls of Hogwarts, his head swimming from the shadows and the voices. They still echoed out as he regained his composure, the voices fading into the back of his mind until they eventually became nothing.

He held the bag close as he walked back to his dorm, remember what the goblin said all too well.

"Di Angelo, hm? It's been a while since I heard that name. The dust has been collecting down in that vault. Come on, hold out your finger. Your blood will tell us the truth."

His blood. Nico looked down at his pricked finger. He had the blood of the di Angelo's, of his mother and sister. He had the blood of the wizards, but also of the gods.

Shadow traveling to Gringotts and back had taken too many hours too long. It took five tries the first time, which landed him a block away from where he wanted. Then there was getting back...

It had been a long night.

"Dom." Nico shook his friend awake as soon as he got to his bedside. "Look." He took his bag and placed it on Dominic's lap, showing him the money. "Send that to your mom and then come back to sleep."

Dominic rubbed his eyes in an effort to wake up before looking down at the bag in confusion. "Nico, where did you get this?"

"My first name, di Angelo. Apparently, I was rich." he held up the key. "Dumbledore gave me this. And there's a lot more money where that came from."

Dominic took a deep breath before getting out of bed, hugging Nico as close as he could. "Thanks, Nico. Thank you."

Nico couldn't help but wish that it was Will he was currently hugging. "No problem. Now go write that letter before your mom has a heart attack."

Dominic nodded, grabbing the bag and his parchment. "I'll be back. Thanks again, Nico."

"Any time."

As Dominic ran from the room with his robe in hand, Nico laid on his own bed where he had been laying with Will earlier that day. It still smelled of him. Under the pillow, having been hidden before, Will had left his jacket.

Nico slept with it all night long, far from nightmares.


	26. Chapter 25

_**An: okay so to clear up any confusion and to answer some questions...**_

 _ **This is an au so Harry is 11 and Percy is whatever age he is after the Trials of Apollo, like 18. no time travel there. it just had to match up for the sake of the story.**_ _ **Nico was the only demigod sent back in time, while also being deaged so he could grow up to be 11 while percy is now 18-ish.**_ _ **So when Allyson was there she didnt go back in time or anything like that. Shes an actual daughter of Hecate that is actually eleven.**_ _ **And the gods chose this way instead of just installing fake memories because when Nico found out they were fake, he might not feel the same way about his family. But knowing that they actually did take him in on their own free will and actually raised him will help him stick to the wizarding world even if he found out about the demigods cause they need him to protect Harry and help against Voldemort.**_ _ **Does that make sense? Let me know if it doesn't**_

* * *

Saturday night, Nico led Percy and Annabeth into the Forbidden Forest. Percy was carrying a sword that looked surprisingly familiar, its pitch black blade leaking of death and destruction.

It was a blade that had killed, Nico was certain.

They got to a clearing the moon had graciously lit up for them. Nico stepped into it before looking to Percy and Annabeth, his robes fluttering about in the night wind. "The sword. Is it mine?"

Percy glanced at Annabeth before holding the sword out. "How'd you know?"

"It seems like something a death boy would carry around." Nico took it delicately by the hilt. "What did I kill with this?"

"Monsters." Annabeth grabbed the dagger from her thigh holder. "Look alive!" She charged toward him with her dagger in hand, her shout ringing through the quiet night and breaking apart the peace it once held.

Battle. Adrenaline. It came like a sixth sense to Nico. He ducked, he fought, his blade gleamed in the moonlight.

"Don't let it touch you!" he hopped back from one of Annabeth's assaults before attacking again. "The blade will take your soul!"

Where had he learned that? As soon as he thought about it, his skills lessoned and Annabeth got through his defense. Before he knew it he was laying on his back, staring up at the moon above.

Annabeth was sitting on his chest with her dagger at his throat, her breaths coming short and fast. "That was good, Nico. Really good for your first time in eleven years."

"He fought like he used to," Percy spoke up, having been watching from the grass not too far away. "It was like watching you and Nico practice together back at camp."

Nico pushed Annabeth off him. "But I'm not him. We've covered that. I'm a Weasley now. They actually raised me, Percy. They took me in even when they didn't have enough money for their own kids. I'm not abandoning them."

Percy looked down at the grass. "I know."

"You obviously don't if you keep saying it!" Nico grabbed his sword before rising to his feet. "So what if I fought like him? So what if I can remember some things? So what if I love Will Solace?! I'm a wizard! I live here! And nothing you can do will change that! I _want_ to be _here_! You know what will happen if I go with you?! I'll be called a murderer again! Because I am! I killed Bryce Lawrence, Percy!"

The forest was silent. Nico's angry breaths faded into the cold air until he had nothing left but a numb sense of reality stabbing at his heart. The words seemed to have broken down some barrier within him, seemed to break whatever seal the gods had put there. In that moment, standing before Percy beneath the moon, he remembered everything.

And nothing about it made him happy or relieved.

"Nico..." Annabeth took a step towards him. He could see her falling into Tartarus, could see himself high fiving her at camp. "You need to sit down and breathe."

"I'm breathing perfectly fine, Annabeth." Nico snapped. "I don't need...I..." He sunk to his knees. What did he need? What could he do but watch these memories, relive them, remember them?

Bianca, Hazel, Will, Reyna. Tartarus, the camps, Maine and the Underworld. Bryce Lawrence. All the monsters and ghosts.

He was a murderer, that was known at camp. But here, hidden within the halls of Hogwarts, he wasn't. He was still a Weasley boy. He was who his mother raised him to be.

"You guys should go back to camp." Nico looked up at Annabeth, looked into her eyes. "I...I understand now. And you should go back to camp. You need to train the young campers incase something else happens. And you need to tell Hazel that I'm okay and that I'll visit her soon. Then you need to never come back here. Demigods and wizards don't mix. Unless you want another war, go back to America and don't tell anyone about this place."

"You remember," Annabeth concluded. "They all came back to you."

Nico nodded. "And I'm still a Weasley. So please, go. I can take care of myself now."

Percy walked over and put a hand on Nico's shoulder. "Neeks...take care of yourself, you hear me? And ask if you need anything. You're still our family."

Nico nodded. "Say hi to your mom for me."

Percy kneeled in front of Nico and hugged him. "I know, no hugging, but make an exception."

Nico sighed as he leaned into Percy. "Fine, whatever... Are you going to hate me for this decision? I'm finally going to have a great life that doesn't involve being looking down upon because of my father."

"We wouldn't ever hate you." Percy let him go. "And we understand your decision. The gods put you here for a reason."

"And Hazel will agree," Annabeth confirmed. "You know she will. As long as you're happy."

"How's she been doing?" Nico asked. "Has she been okay?"

Annabeth nodded. "Just worried about you."

"I'll visit her soon," Nico promised. "Until I can, will you let her know I'm okay? But don't say anything about wizards. Nobody else can know about this."

Annabeth nodded before looking to Percy. "We should get going."

"I can take you." Nico offered, holding his hands out. "Let's stop and get Piper and your stuff, then we'll be on our way."

"So you're comfortable using your powers?" Annabeth asked.

Nico nodded. "Come on, I don't have all night. I need to think of something to tell people when they ask where you went."

"Say we had family stuff that got too serious." Annabeth grabbed his hand, followed by Percy. "Okay, we're ready."

* * *

"Okay, here we are." Nico breathed in the smell of strawberries as they appeared beside the Big House. "Run along to your cabins."

Percy looked to Nico after he recovered from the sensation. "Are you sure you're going to be okay? You've always been pretty independent...but still..."

"I'm going to be fine," Nico promised. "Just take care of things here and let me know if you all need help. I'll pop in from time to time. But I've got to settle things in the wizarding world first and make sure that whoever knows about demigods doesn't tell. Then I need to see how the Underworld is."

"Yeah, okay." Percy grabbed Annabeth's hand. "Are you sure you're alright, though? Having all your memories now...it can be a lot. Especially from the bad ones."

Nico stared at the darkening sky, a piece of hair sticking to his lip. "I just have a lot to think about, a lot to do."

"Just take care of yourself, whatever you do." Annabeth pulled Nico into a hug. "And remember, when that...place...bothers you, remember that you're not alone. It bothers us, too."

You didn't go through it alone, Nico thought. You had each other. You had the Mist to protect your minds. You have no idea what I experianced down there.

"Yeah, okay." Nico pulled away from the hug. "Bye."

Percy and Annabeth's smiles gleamed in the moonlight. "Bye."

Why'd he have to care so much about them?


	27. Chapter 26

The nights leading up to Christmas break were the worst. Nico couldn't look forward to the holiday, couldn't holiday shop even though he had the money. The nightmares kept a hold of him, echoed through his soul even when the sunlight streamed in. He hid it well in front of others, tried to show them that his memories weren't that bad. It was the only reason he got rid of Percy and Annabeth so quickly.

They terrified him. They ruined him. They eroded away at whatever happiness he had left, the happiness he had built up as a Weasley. It was fading just as fast as it did when he was a demigod, in his first version of life.

But then he hung out with his friends, with his family. He hung out with Dominic and the Weasley's, with Harry and Hermione. They stopped the eroding for the time being, maybe added some of their own happiness. And it helped. But the nightmares always came back, the sadness never truly went away.

It was always there, waiting, watching.

And as the winter came with its ice and freezing temperatures, he tried to find ways to accept the fact that he had bad memories, that he had a bad past. He was a murderer, a killer, and he'd never tell anyone from the wizarding world that. He was a demigod, a protector of man. He told that to those who knew that he was simply a boy that controlled the shadows.

He was a soldier. He had fought in two wars, the first on the front lines. The second, he survived as a prisoner of war. Neither did he hate himself for winning. Both he felt guilty for those he hurt and killed.

Bryce Lawrence. Octavian. Leo. Bianca? It was he who caused her to join the Hunters, in the end. She was getting away from her responsibilities, which were him and his young mind. She was getting away from him. And for it, she died.

But Christmas break came, the snow fell, life went on. The dead stayed dead and gone, the Underworld kept filling up, the living kept moving on. It wasn't long before Nico found himself with Ron and his friends, in the Great Hall with Hagrid nearby.

"How many days you got left until yer holidays?" Hagrid asked.

"Just one," Hermione replied. "And that reminds me. Harry, Nico, Ron, we've got half an hour until lunch. We should be in the library."

"Oh yeah, you're right." Ron looked over from where his eyes had wandered off to.

"The library?" Hagrid asked. "Just before the holidays? Bit keen, aren't yeh?"

"Oh, we're not working," Harry told him brightly, causing Nico to sigh at his ignorance. Did he have to go telling everyone what they were up to? "Ever since you mentioned Nicolas Flamel we've been trying to find out who he is."

"You what?" Hagrid looked shocked, though Nico couldn't believe that he had no idea where the little piece of information would lead the Golden Trio. Their first year at Hogwarts was only halfway done, and they already had some secrets to uncover. "Listen here, I've told yeh, drop it. It's nothing to you what the dog's guarding."

"We just want to know who Nicolas Flamel is, that's all," said Hermione.

"Unless you'd like to tell us and save us the trouble?" Harry added. "We must've been through hundreds of books already and we can't find him anywhere - just give us a hint - I know I've read his name somewhere."

"You read?" Nico asked. Harry didn't respond, his eyes on Hagrid.

"I'm sayin' nothin," said Hagrid flatly.

"He's not going to tell you." Nico finally stated, grabbing Ron's arm. "Come on, back to the library it is."

And so they went off, but Nico kept his eyes on the people around him. He had been through enough to know that something suspicious was going on. It wasn't just an innocent storage situation going on. Whatever that dog was guarding, it was something he was sure needed to stay in the right hands.

So he had helped any way he could, but he couldn't find Flamel's name in any book. He wasn't in Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century, Notable Magical Names of Our Time, Important Modern Magical Discoveries, or A Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry. Not to mention all the other books they had looked through, though they never got close to putting a dent into the library's extensive collection.

Nico walked down a row with Ron and helped him pick books at random, one at a time. Nothing seemed to help. Before long he heard Madam Pince get at Harry for being near the Restricted Section. The Chosen One soon left without another word, leaving Nico to sigh in defeat as he put his book back onto the shelf. "I guess we better go after him, then."

They met up with Harry outside the library, relaying the information that as expected, they hadn't found anything of significance.

"You will keep looking while I'm away, won't you?" said Hermione. "And send me an owl if you find anything."

"And you could ask your parents if they know who Flamel is," said Ron. "It'd be safe to ask them."

"Very safe, as they're both dentists," said Hermione.

Nico elbowed Ron in the stomach before looking to Hermione. "We'll keep you updated."

And he would have, too, if there was anything to update her about. As the Holidays started he was the only one left looking, Ron and Harry busy with their mini vacation from school work to even think about it. Nico himself had to sneak into the Gryffindor common room a few times to even see them once a week, but neither said anything that wasn't new.

Dominic had also gone home for the holidays, leaving Nico alone in the cold library. The books never ended, the shelves seemed to keep getting bigger. By Christmas Eve, Madam Pince knew him well and even let him sneak in a snack or two, just happening not to see it each time.

Yet he got nowhere. Every book was different than the last, yet each failed to leave out the one piece of information Nico needed. So after spending Christmas morning with Harry and Ron, he made plans to go to the Underworld that night. But he had to visit Hazel first.

He took the sweater Mrs. Weasley had made him off and stuffed it in a bag along with some pants and toiletries. He also took some money he had gotten out of his vault, having borrowed the key from Dominic before giving it back to his friend. He was the son of Hades, after all. He didn't need that vault nearly as much as Dominic did.

"Where's your sweater?" Harry asked as Nico walked up to the Gryffindor table. "I thought Mrs. Weasley-"

"It's in my bag." Nico looked to Ron. "I'll be back. I'm going to..." He lowered his voice. "I'm going to visit Hazel. I'll probably spend the night."

"Oh," Ron stopped eating, which seemed to surprise everyone at the table. "America?"

Nico nodded. "I'll be back tomorrow. Oh, and my gift to you." He dug into his pocket before handing Ron a small bag of money. "There. Go crazy."

Leaving his brother to stare at the amount of money he had been given, Nico walked out of the Great Hall without answering the questions of Percy Weasley. He had always distasted that older brother more than the others, but he still didn't understand why. Demigod tuition, maybe.

He slipped into one of the bathrooms before shadow traveling away, making sure no one could see his little disappearing trick. Apparition was impossible in Hogwarts, nor was he old enough to be allowed to do so. It'd be a hard situation to explain, for sure, and he didn't necessarily feel like trying.

Because he was going back to America, back to the country where he was known for the things he so desperately wanted to change.

He got to Camp Jupiter with a dull sense of depression in his chest. He may have once called it his home, but now it was somewhere he was looking forward to leaving. He leaned against his father's shrine as he watched those down the hill, watched the Romans he had once forgotten.

"Nico?!" he looked up to find Hazel looking back down at him, perched on the shrine's roof. "They were right! Oh gods, they were right!"

She jumped down and hugged him close, not hesitating even though he had changed. She had grown into her teenage body, had grown to look mature after the war she had been thrown into. As she hugged him, a few tears escaped her eyes.

"We thought you were dead," she whispered. "I couldn't find your soul in the Underworld, but... We thought..."

"I'm sorry." Nico wrapped his arms around her but couldn't feel anything but guilt. Whoever he met in this world, he knew that at one point in time he had caused them pain. "I'm okay, now. I got my memories back."

"Where have you been?" she pulled away to look him over. "Why are you in robes?"

Nico scratched the back of his neck as he explained the quest he was on. It was Hazel. He knew she wouldn't tell anyone. But he never mentioned a word about possibly one day fighting for the enemy.

She nodded in acceptance. "Are you staying?"

"For a minute. I'm going to visit Camp Half-Blood." he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I wanted to tell you Merry Christmas. I've been planning a visit for a while...I just never got around to it. I'm sorry."

 _I'll start here_ , he decided. _If I can ever feel comfortable in this world again, I have to mend my past. And I'll start here, with Hazel._

"It's okay," she assured. "I'm just glad I know, now."

"No, it's not okay." he looked into her eyes. "I...I made you worry for years. I made you worry when I jumped into Tartarus. I made you worry after that as the war went on. I...I made you a sister to a murderer. And I'm sorry."

Hazel stopped short for a moment as she stared at her brother, or who used to be so. Now, he was unrecognizable. Now, he was someone who had matured despite his appearance. Now, he was someone that seemed to have happiness somewhere in his soul, even if it was currently hidden from sight.

"And I forgive you." she reached out to take his hand from his pocket, gripping his pale fingers once she did. "You're my brother, Nico. You've changed but you're still my brother. I can see it somewhere in there. And I can see some changes that I like." She fidgeted. "Are you happy where you are?"

Nico nodded. "And comfortable."

"That's good..." she looked down. "You've got people to talk to?"

He nodded again.

"Okay, but I'm still here if you need me," she assured. "And I want you to visit at least once a month. And let me know if anything changes."

"Yes, ma'am." Nico looked around. "How's camp been?"

She sighed. "You've missed a lot. Sit down, I'll fill you in."

And she did. They talked for some time, talked about the world around them and the changes he had missed. New Muggle inventions came up every now and again, causing wonder to settle through his bones. He'd need to try some and bring them back to Mr. Weasley, that was for sure.

Soon enough he stood up to leave, his robes now stained from the grass they had been sitting on. "I should get to the Greeks, Hazel."

She stood up and stretched. "Remember to visit."

"I will, I will." he hugged her before letting her go. "Bye, Hazel. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Neeks."

He shadow traveled away with a lighter heart but with some pains here and there. Camp Half-Blood was going to be trickier, it having a certain blond as its head of medicine.

Nico wasn't sure why he wanted to tell Will Merry Christmas. They had basically broken up, but the love had never died in Nico's chest. Had it for Will? Either way, they could never act on it.

Maybe that was why he couldn't let the happiness take over. Maybe that was why he felt pain every time he thought about America.


	28. Chapter 27

Nico pulled his robes close to himself as he looked out over the strawberry fields. They were warm enough at Camp Jupiter, but now that he was on the East Coast, he contemplated putting on the sweater Mrs. Weasley had made him.

Few campers were there, as usual during the winter. Those who were there were filtering towards the Dining Pavilion, dinner about to start judging by the smell that wafted over the camp. Nico took it in for some time, remembering the first time he had smelled it back as a kid. His first time being a kid.

He had just been introduced to this world of Greek gods and monsters. Bianca was alive, he didn't know he had a devil of a dad. Things had been wonderful, then. For a minute, he had been truly happy. It was his only true memory from the demigod world that hadn't had one bit of sorrow or grief.

He held that close as he stood on the Big House porch, tried to use it to not think about the other memories associated with camp. It was something he had learned growing up in the Weasley household, evidently. He had learned to think of Molly's cooking when he got scared, when he was alone, when he was away from home. He thought about it so vividly that he could almost smell it. And it had helped.

Now, Nico tried his best to use it to keep himself happy, keep himself calm. But he could feel the other memories trying to break in.

"Nico di Angelo." Rachel Dare stepped out of the Big House. She had grown, making him feel younger than he felt. "What they said was right."

Nico scowled as he turned to face her. "I thought they weren't supposed to tell people."

"Chiron found it necessary since I'm the Oracle." she shrugged. "I would have found out sooner or later. Why aren't you at dinner?"

"I could ask you the same question."

"I had to talk to Chiron. I'm heading there now." Rachel stepped off the porch. "Care to join me?"

"If you tell me what you were talking about." Nico grabbed his bag and walked over to her. "And every detail. I can tell when you're leaving something out."

"Even after all these years?" she asked.

"We shouldn't have to find out." Nico retorted.

"Fine, fine. You've got me." Rachel started to walk to the Dining Pavilion. "You're technically a senior camper so it's fine, though we haven't even mentioned this to Percy yet."

Nico instinctively reached for his wand. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"I had a vision." Rachel elbowed him roughly. "About you."

Nico rubbed his side, scowling. "You didn't have to do that. What was it about?"

"I saw you at a castle. I'm guessing it was your school," she explained. "It's a castle, right?"

Nico nodded. "Hogwarts. Now get to the point." He stopped outside the Pavilion and turned to her. "Before we go in, you're telling me."

She sighed. "A battle was going on. I had the sense that it was a war. Both sides were wizards."

Nico's eyes widened. "You're sure?"

Rachel nodded. "There was a boy...black hair, green eyes. Scar on his forehead-"

"Harry." Nico filled in. "Got it. What about him?"

"He was dead." she crossed her arms. "It must have been really important since...are you okay?"

Nico's pale face showed his worry and anxiety. As he turned to look at his shoes, he felt a sick urge to throw up. "Anything else?"

"No. Are...are you okay?" she reached out to touch his shoulder but he pulled away. "Maybe you should sit down."

"No, I don't think I should." Nico ran a hand through his hair. "I'm going home. Update me if you see anything else."

"Right..." she paused. "What are you calling home?"

"Hogwarts." Nico stepped to the shadows. "That's my home now, Rachel. I know you all can't understand that, especially since I've got my memories back. _I_ barely understand it. But...but that's where I want to be. That's where I can relax. Here...here, I'm still the son of the devil. Here, I'm still outcasted. I hate that."

"Home is where the heart is." she shrugged. "Your heart must be there."

He scowled. "Why'd you get sentimental?"

"Just get going." Rachel smiled. "Try to prepare for what I saw. By what you looked like, you have some years."

"How many?"

"I can't be sure." she frowned. "You know that. But you looked like you aged since now."

"Fine." he shadow traveled away without another word, his Christmas ultimately ruined. Bad news was part of the life of a demigod, but he never thought a vision would have shown that much to Rachel. Harry, dead...what did that mean for the wizarding world?

He didn't check in with Harry or Ron. He changed into his Weasley sweater and went right to bed, the smell able to cast his nightmares away for one more night.

The smell of home. Now with his demigod memories, he cherished the smell even more.

He stepped into the bathroom the next morning with the haze of being well rested for the first time in some time. It wasn't long before an IM appeared before him, Will's angry face right in the center. "Seriously?"

Nico glanced at the door before walking closer to the image, his sweater still on. It was quite warm, to be fair, and he had started to miss home just as the other First Years probably did. Even though Hogwarts was awesome, they weren't used to being away for so long.

Remembering his times on the streets, remembering the way he wandered about after Bianca died, it made him miss his home even more. He missed the stability.

"Will?" Nico looked him over. "What are you talking about?"

"You came to camp but you still managed to avoid telling me Merry Christmas?" Will crossed his arms. "And what are you wearing?"

Nico looked down at his sweater. "Mom made it... Mrs. Weasley. She makes them for her kids each Christmas."

"Okay, but you were here on Christmas." Will began. "So you had no right to say Merry Christmas to Rachel but not me. Why were you even talking to her?"

"First off, why do you care?" Nico asked. "We broke up, remember? We said just...just friends for now."

"Exactly. We're friends. Better friends than you and Rachel, I hope." Will explained. "And you were there. It's not like you were in Scotland. So why didn't you say anything?"

"I..." Nico thought back to what Rachel had seen, thought back to the realization that Harry would die sometime during their years at Hogwarts. "I...I wasn't there on holiday. It was...wizard stuff."

"You were talking to Rachel about wizard stuff?"

Nico nodded. "She saw something. She had a vision."

Will's angry expression dropped. "What was it? Is everything alright?"

Nico leaned against the wall. "She saw a battle here at Hogwarts. She saw Harry dead."

"Who's Harry?"

"The kid that the gods initially put me here to protect." Nico started to pace. "One of my friends. But why...if they knew he was going to die...and why would they show Rachel...?"

"The gods have weird ways to go around things." Will held back a yawn. "I'm sorry for yelling at you, then, for the whole Christmas thing."

"It's fine..." Nico looked over at Will. "Merry late Christmas."

Will grinned. "Merry late Christmas. I better let you go."

"Yeah, I've got school..." Nico sighed. "It's hard to say goodbye to you, you know."

Will played with an ace bandage. "You've changed, Nico. For the better. That makes it even harder to say goodbye to _you_. I want to be there for you."

"As a friend, you can be." Nico raised his hand up to swipe through the message. "Bye, Will. I'll message you later."

"Bye." Will's face disappeared as Nico's hand destroyed the image. He let it fall to his side as he watched the wall that Will's face had been hiding, an empty feeling in his heart that he knew could only be filled by Will.

Will's face faded from his mind when he met up with Harry and Ron, however, his brother filling him in on what Harry had done and the mirror he had found. Nico didn't know whether be horrified or proud of Harry, to be honest. It was his job to protect this boy, and there he was running around the castle while invisible. On the other hand...

"Congratulationstions on cheating the system," Nico said. "I mean, if Dumbledore wasn't Dumbledore, that cloak can really come in handy."

"You sound like the twins." Ron grinned.

Harry nodded in agreement. "I don't know if that's a good thing, Ron."

They spent the rest of the holidays not using the cloak, much to Nico's disappointment. He could think of a million things he could get done with that, including some overdue pranks on the twins.

As their break came to a close, Nico found himself, once again, nose deep in books. The library seemed more of a home than his common room. Flamel's name never showed up.


	29. Chapter 28

Nico sat by Ron and Harry in the Gryffindor common room as they told Hermoine what had happened throughout break, his head resting on his hand as he stared into the flames of the fireplace.

"And you still haven't found out who Nicolas Flamel is?" Hermoine asked. "Have you looked at all?"

"Nico has." Ron defended. "He has all break."

Hermoine turned to Nico. "You haven't found anything? There's no way-"

"I'm a slow reader." Nico held his hands up in surrender. After Hermoine didn't speak for a minute, he relented. "And...I got distracted by a few books that had the di Angelo family in them..."

"Did you at least find anything else out about them?" she asked.

Nico shook his head. "Not anything new."

The rain and mud outside the castle seemed to express his mood more than ever as school started again. Classes had him on the verge of death by boredom, while homework continued to stack up in front of him. Nicolas Flamel, it seemed, finally escaped from Nico's mind.

Until Ron ran into the library one afternoon and grabbed his arm. "We found him."

Nico looked up from the book he was reading on his old mother, his first mother. "Found who?"

"Flamel. Come on."

Nico stuffed the book in his bag before following Ron out of the library and into the Gryffindor common room. Hermoine was there with Harry, a thick book in front of her.

"Nicolas Flamel," she whispered dramatically, "is the only known maker of the Sorcerer's Stone!"

Ron nor Harry seemed to realize what the Sorcerer's Stone was, but Nico felt his skin tingle at the name.

"The what?" said Harry and Ron.

"Oh, honestly, don't you two read? Look - read that, there." She pushed the book toward them before looking to Nico. "Do you know?"

He nodded. "My dad from down under hates the thing."

She looked back to the others. "See?" said Hermione, when Harry and Ron had finished. "The dog must be guarding Flamel's Sorcerer's Stone! I bet he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him, because they're friends and he knew someone was after it, that's why he wanted the Stone moved out of Gringotts!"

"A stone that makes gold and stops you from ever dying!" said Harry. "No wonder Snape's after it! Anyone would want it."

"And no wonder we couldn't find Flamel in that Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry," said Ron. "He's not exactly recent if he's six hundred and sixty-five, is he?"

"Wait a minute." Nico grabbed the book. "Where did you get this from?"

"I checked it out for some light reading," Hermoine explained. "Why?"

Nico wanted to hit himself with it. "We were searching the whole damn library for a book that ended up being on your bed."

The days went on. Even though they figured out exactly what the dog was guarding, none of them could figure out exactly what to do with the information. Nico, for one, didn't believe Snape was after the stone at all. After years in the demigod world, after seeing those who were good turn evil, he couldn't see Snape doing it, even when the evidence was stacked against him.

This worried him, however. He kept these thoughts from Harry and the others, but the only other culprit that came to mind...no, it couldn't be...right? It would make sense why the gods put him here...

No. He didn't want to believe it. He had grown up in fear of that name, had always been told not to say it. Just the fact that it was possible he could return... It made his wizarding blood run cold.

But Nico ignored his hypothesis for the time being, however. It was the only way he could sleep at night.

Yet as much as he suppressed it, it showed.

"You look awful." Dominic put a hand to Nico's forehead at breakfast one day. "Do you think you're getting sick?"

"I don't get sick." Nico swatted Dominic's hand away as he stared at his empty plate. He had noticed the bags under his dark eyes, had seen the way the stood out in the mirror. He had felt the aches and pains throughout his entire body. "Just some anxiety."

"About what?" Dominic frowned. "Is something wrong in the demigod world?"

Nico shook his head. "It's not that. It's... It's something else that I can't say."

"But is everything going to be okay?" he asked. Ever since Nico had given him the key to his fault, Dominic's face had lost the stress and tenseness it had always held. Now, it leaked through what had become a happy expression.

"Hopefully." Nico looked in his eyes. "Just forget about it. If it ends up being true, I'll let you know. Promise."

"Yeah, okay." Dominic turned back to his food. "If you need some help, just let me know. I owe you a lot. You should see my mum. I've never seen her so stress-free."

Nico didn't put anything on his own plate. "I'm glad someone will use that money. I don't need it."

"Yeah, well, you could have easily bought anything you ever wanted." Dominic pointed a piece of toast at him. "You could have bought the Sorcerer's Stone, no doubt."

Nico blood ran cold. "How do you know about that?"

"The Sorcerer's Stone? It's like the one thing wizards did that all Muggles expect wizards to do." he frowned. "Why? What's wrong with it? It's not something about your gods, right?"

"No, no." Nico looked away after judging that the whole situation was indeed a coincidence. "You're just a fucking psychic or something."

"I've actually been told that before," Dominic admitted. "I'm good at guessing things. Try me, I dare you."

"We're not at a slumber party." Nico got up. "Are you coming?"

Dominic sighed as he grabbed a few more pieces of toast. "Coming."

The hall of Hogwarts remained the same, the staircases kept moving, the paintings kept talking. Everything felt normal but there was something holding him back from relaxing, and that something was a certain dark wizard that could potentially return.

And if he did, they'd have Hell to pay.

* * *

Quidditch soon came. Nico sat in the stands with Dominic and the rest of the Hufflepuffs, though he had no faith in his team nor did he have interest in the sport. Brooms were flying death traps, Harry was on one when he was, in fact, the one wizard Nico had to keep the most protected.

"Come on, cheer up." Dominic elbowed him roughly. "You're supposed to be supporting your friend."

"I hate the idea of flying." Nico scowled. "Zeus might zap me just for watching it as a sport."

"Right, you have god problems." Dominic glanced up at the sky. "Would he really kill you though?"

Nico shrugged. "I don't want to test it out."

Dominic elbowed him again. "Look."

"Ow, what?" Nico elbowed him back.

"Malfoy and Ron are going at it," Dominic smirked as he watched. "Let's go get in it."

Nico sighed but rose to his feet. Before he could get far from his seat, however, Harry had the Snitch held high above his head.

"That does it," Nico declared. "Hufflepuff sucks as much as its name."

Dominic elbowed him again before jogging off, no doubt on his way to congratulate Ron for the fight instead of congratulating Harry on his win. Nico took a moment before following, thankful that Harry hadn't almost died during the match.

It was later that they found Harry, Nico able to sense the cloak in his possession. That cloak was from Death, Nico was sure of it. From Thanatos himself.

"Harry, where have you been?" Hermione squeaked.

"We won! You won! We won!" shouted Ron, thumping Harry on the back. "And I gave Malfoy a black eye, and Neville tried to take on Crabbe and Goyle single-handed! He's still out cold but Madam Pomfrey says he'll be all right - talk about showing Slytherin! Everyone's waiting for you in the common room, we're having a party, Fred and George stole some cakes and stuff from the kitchens."

"Never mind that now," said Harry breathlessly. "Let's find an empty room, you wait 'til you hear this..."

Harry led them to a room and had Nico make sure Peeves wasn't inside before shutting the door behind them, then he told them what he'd seen and heard.

"So we were right, it is the Sorcerer's Stone, and Snape's trying to force Quirrell to help him get it. He asked if he knew how to get past Fluffy - and he said something about Quirrell's 'hocus pocuss- I reckon there are other things guarding the stone apart from Fluffy, loads of enchantments, probably, and Quirrell would have done some anti-Dark Arts spell that Snape needs to break through -"

"So you mean the Stone's only safe as long as Quirrell stands up to Snape?" said Hermione in alarm.

"It'll be gone by next Tuesday," said Ron.

Nico shook his head. "I still think you're blaming the wrong person."

"You've just warmed up to the wrong person." Ron defended. "Why do you like him?"

"I don't like him, I respect him." Nico countered. "He has Dumbledore's trust, remember?"

"I don't think that matters anymore," Harry replied.


	30. Chapter 29

Homework piled up as the days went on. Nico didn't mind it much as it kept his mind busy, as it kept the nightmares far away. But some thoughts still slipped through; the worries about Voldemort always seemed to slap him in the face at the most random of times.

In was after dinner one night that he tried talking to Hecate for the first time in months. He had gotten sick of the others blaming Snape, had heard enough about Quirrell being victimized. Every time he was near the man, the feeling of death washed over his soul.

 _Are you still there?_ Nico asked.

 _Until your quest is done, young demigod._

 _That's not what I asked_. Nico sighed as he laid back on his bed. _What is this? You put me here for what? To watch as the wizarding world goes into war?_

 _You're smart,_ Hecate commented. _As you can tell, no other wizards think that a war is brewing. Dumbledore, maybe, but Harry and those who will be in the middle of it are left oblivious._

 _It's Voldemort, isn't it?_

 _I'm afraid so, son of Hades. I can't say much and I can't say the future, but that dark wizard is back. You need to protect Harry Potter._

 _I know._ Nico closed his eyes. "Damn it..."

"Damn what?" Dominic asked from his bed.

"Damn you for always listening to me." Nico sat up. "I was talking to myself."

"Yes, you were talking to yourself, but you did it loud enough for me to hear." Dominic looked over from the book he was reading. "You know that, right?"

Nico took his shoes off before laying on the bed again. "Yeah."

* * *

The days went on from Nico's conversation with Hecate. Soon Easter break was upon them, but all he did was cram some more and actually witness his brother do some homework. No more threats of Voldemort showed up but Nico was always on high alert.

"I'll never remember this." Ron let the book fall onto the table. The library had become their home lately, but it kept Nico further from Dominic who insisted on never doing his homework. Nico was surprised he hadn't already flunked out.

Nico turned to lecture his brother but stopped when he heard Harry's voice. "Hagrid! What are you doing in the library?"

Nico turned his head again to see Hagrid, who was very obviously hiding something behind his back.

"Just looking." Hagrid's voice caused Nico's eyes to narrow. "And what're you lot up to?" He frowned. "You're not still looking for Nicolas Flamel, are you?"

"Oh, we found out who he is ages ago," Ron replied. "And we know what that dog's guarding, it's a Sorcerer's St -" Nico clamped a hand over his mouth.

"There are a few things we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact," Harry spoke, too far from Nico for him to also cover his mouth. "About what's guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy -"

"SHHHH!" Hagrid insisted. "Listen - come and see me later, I'm not promising I'll tell you anything, mind, but don't go rabbiting about it in here, students aren't supposed to know. They'll think I've told you-"

"See you later, then," Harry cut in. When Hagrid walked off, Nico finally let Ron's mouth go.

"What was he hiding behind his back?" said Hermione thoughtfully. "Do you think it had anything to do with the Stone?"

"I'm going to see what section he was in." Ron wiped his mouth before standing up, looking to Nico. "Who knows where your hands have been." He walked off but soon came back with a pile of books.

"Dragons!" he whispered. "Hagrid was looking up stuff about dragons! Look at these: Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland; From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper's Guide."

"Hagrid's always wanted a dragon, he told me so the first time I ever met him, " Harry added.

"Isn't it illegal?" Nico asked.

Ron nodded. "Dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlocks' Convention of 1709, everyone knows that. It's hard to stop Muggles from noticing us if we're keeping dragons in the back garden -anyway, you can't tame dragons, it's dangerous. You all should see the burns Charlie's got off wild ones in Romania."

"But there aren't wild dragons in Britain?" said Harry.

"Of course there are," said Ron. "Common Welsh Green and Hebridean Blacks. The Ministry of Magic has a job hushing them up, I can tell you. Our kind have to keep putting spells on Muggles who've spotted them, to make them forget."

"So what on earth's Hagrid up to?" Hermoine asked.

Nico closed his book. "I'm guessing you want to go talk to him." His eyes landed on the cover of the book as his heart seemed to stop. What was bothering him? It was something...

"English," Nico spoke up. "I can read English."

All three wizards looked to him in confusion. "And...?" Ron asked.

"I couldn't used to." Nico ran a hand through his hair. "Even starting out here, Dominic read everything to me. Now I can. I never even noticed cause all I did was sit in that library for so long."

"You couldn't read English?" Hermoine leaned forward as she lowered her voice. "It was the demigod in you, wasn't it?"

Nico nodded. "My brain should be hardwired for Ancient Greek."

"We'll figure it out later," Ron whined. "Let's go ask Hagrid what he was doing."

Nico looked to his brother before giving in. "I guess you're right...it's not like it's a bad thing."

Hermoine looked to be thinking but didn't say anything, staying silent through their treck to Hagrid's hut.

The hut was hot along with the air outside. Nico stared into the fire as Hagrid offered the others tea, his mind wandering from one thing to the next as he tried to come up with explanations on why he could read English.

"So - you wanted to ask me something?" Hagrid asked.

"Yes," Harry spoke up. "We were wondering if you could tell us what's guarding the Sorcerer's Stone apart from Fluffy."

"Of course I can't," Hagrid frowned. "Number one, I don't know myself. Number two, you know too much already, so I wouldn't tell you if I could. That Stone's here for a good reason. It was almost stolen out out Gringotts - I suppose you've worked that out and all? Beats me how you even know about Fluffy."

"Oh, come on, Hagrid, you might not want to tell us, but you do know, you know everything that goes on around here," Hermoine replied. Her tone reminded Nico of a try at charmspeak. "We only wondered who had done the guarding, really. We wondered who Dumbledore had trusted enough to help him, apart from you."

"Well, I don't suppose it could hurt to tell you that... let's see... he borrowed Fluffy from me... then some of the teachers did enchantments...Professor Sprout - Professor Flitwick - Professor McGonagall -" he ticked them off on his fingers, "Professor Quirrell - and Dumbledore himself did something, of course. Hang on, I've forgotten someone. Oh yeah, Professor Snape."

Nico elbowed Ron in the ribs before giving him a satisfactory look. "Told you he wasn't trying to steal it. He may hate me for hating his handwriting but we respect each other."

By Ron's face, he still thought differently.

"You're the only one who knows how to get past Fluffy, aren't you, Hagrid?" Harry asked. "And you wouldn't tell anyone, would you? Not even one of the teachers?"

"Not a soul knows except me and Dumbledore," Hagrid boasted.

"Well, that's something," Harry muttered to Ron and Hermoine. Nico kept his own thoughts as the conversation dragged on. His days at Hogwarts had been much better before he started getting into the worries about this stone. "Hagrid, can we have a window open? I'm boiling."

"Can't, Harry, sorry," said Hagrid.

The Golden Trio joined Nico in looking at the fire. Harry spoke up. "Hagrid - what's that?" Their eyes rested on the black egg before Nico and Ron exchanged a glance.

"You're going to get yourself killed one of these days," Nico said bluntly.

"Where did you get it, Hagrid?" Ron finally had an excuse to elbow Nico back before going and kneeling by the fire. "It must've cost you a fortune."

"Won it," said Hagrid. "Last night. I was down in the village having a few drinks and got into a game of cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad to get rid of it, to be honest."

"But what are you going to do with it when it's hatched?" Hermoine asked.

"Well, I've been doing some reading." Hagrid pulled out a book. "Got this outta the library - Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit - it's a bit outta date, of course, but it's all in here. Keep the egg in the fire, 'cause their mothers breathe on them, see, and when it hatches, feed it a bucket of brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour. And see here - how to recognize different eggs - what I got there's a Norwegian Ridgeback. They're rare, them."

"Nico's right," Hermoine admitted. "You're going to get yourself killed."

Hagrid didn't listen, his attention back to the fire and the egg inside it. And it was only weeks later when it hatched, though Nico skipped out on the big spectacle. The nightmares had been bad the night before, having held two certain giants that made Nico want to stay as far away from Hagrid as possible.

He did help Ron feed the dragon, however, as they waited for Charlie to answer about taking it away. Watching it bite Ron had been more humorous than it should have, but Nico couldn't help but laugh at the high pitched scream that had escaped his brother's mouth. Puberty was definitely hitting.

When he ended up taking Ron to the infirmary, however, it wasn't as funny. But he had seen demigods fight on worse, demigods far younger than Ron.

And it was late at night when he was thinking about those demigods did Harry forget his cloak on top of that tower, the dragon having been whisked away by Charlie's friends. He couldn't help but feel guilty when he found out. He was there to protect Harry, that was for sure. But he never imagined one teenager could get into so much trouble without any monsters to blame.


	31. Chapter 30

He thought he had some time before Voldemort's name popped up, but it wasn't long until he heard about what happened in the forest the night of the Golden Trio's detention. Harry told him all that had happened with the unicorns and the figure, had told him how he regained his cloak.

Nico lost the safe feelings he felt in Hogwarts. He lost the innocent state he had been in. That fear, that constant state of anxiety. Just as Hecate said, Voldemort was back. And now Harry knew.

And it was in this state that he had to take exams. He passed, thank the gods, though he still wasn't sure how. The heat had soaked into him well before the exams had finished.

Afterward, Nico joined Ron and the others outside. They sat under a tree, the shadows soaking into Nico's skin and refueling his energy.

"No more studying," Ron said happily. "You could look more cheerful, Harry, we've got a week before we find out how badly we've done, there's no need to worry yet."

Harry didn't stop rubbing his forehead. "I wish I knew what this means! My scar keeps hurting - it's happened before, but never as often as this."

Nico picked his head up to gaze at Harry. Around him, the feeling of death had grown stronger. It constantly twisted at Nico's stomach. "You shouldn't ignore it."

Ron and Hermoine sent him reluctant looks. "It's probably nothing," Ron yawned. "Don't egg him on." He frowned when Harry jumped to his feet. "Where're you going?"

"I've just thought of something," Harry said. "We've got to go and see Hagrid, now."

"Why?" Hermoine asked as they followed him off.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd," said Harry, scrambling up the grassy slope, "that what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket? How many people wander around with dragon eggs if it's against wizard law? Lucky they found Hagrid, don't you think? Why didn't I see it before?"

Nico's stomach dropped though he didn't stop following.

They found Hagrid sitting outside his hut. The running didn't stop the heat boiling over the wizards.

"Hullo." Hagrid smiled. "Finished your exams? Got time for a drink?"

"Yes, please," said Ron, but Harry cut him off.

"No, we're in a hurry. Hagrid, I've got to ask you something. You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?"

"Dunno," said Hagrid casually, "he wouldn't take his cloak off."

Nico shared a serious look with Harry.

"It's not that unusual, you get a lot of funny folk in the Hog's Head -that's the pub down in the village. Might a been a dragon dealer, mightn't he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up."

Harry sank down to the ground. "What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?"

"Might have come up," Hagrid replied. "Yeah... he asked what I did, and I told him I was gamekeeper here... He asked a bit about the sorta creatures I took after... so I told him... and I said what I'd always really wanted was a dragon... and then... I can't remember too well, 'cause he kept buying me drinks... Let's see... yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg and we could play cards for it if I wanted... but he had to be sure I could handle it, he didn't want it to go to any old home... So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy..."

"Did he seem interested in the demon dog?" Nico asked, his voice monotone.

"Well - yeah - how many three-headed dogs do you meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece of cake if you know how to calm him down, just play him a bit of music and he'll go straight off to sleep -" His eyes widened. "I shouldn't have told you that! Forget I said it! Hey -where're you going?"

The three ran off. Nico stood there for a minute before walking to follow them, his hands in his pockets. His fingers wrapped around his wand. He got to the entrance hall in time to see them talking to a pissed looking McGonagle.

"Look," Harry said, "Professor - it's about the Sorcerer's Stone -"

Nico flinched as she dropped her books. "How do you know -?"

"Professor, I think - I know - that Sn- that someone's going to try and steal the Stone. I've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore." Harry replied. Nico rolled his eyes at the almost saying of Snape's name but didn't voice his opinion.

"Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow," McGonagall explained. "I don't know how you found out about the Stone, but rest assured, no one can possibly steal it, it's too well protected."

"But Professor -"

"Potter, I know what I'm talking about." she picked up the books. "I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine."

"It's tonight," Harry turned to the others when she was gone. "Snape's going through the trapdoor tonight. He's found out everything he needs, and now he's got Dumbledore out of the way. He sent that note, I bet the Ministry of Magic will get a real shock when Dumbledore turns up."

"Good afternoon." Snape's voiced them to jump. "Mr. Weasley, I'm surprised to see you in on this."

"I'm not," Nico affirmed.

"You shouldn't be inside on a day like this," he said.

"We were -" Harry began.

"You want to be more careful," said Snape. "Hanging around like this, people will think you're up to something. And Gryffindor really can't afford to lose any more points, can it? Hufflepuff the same."

They turned to leave but Snape spoke again. "Be warned, Potter - any more nighttime wanderings and I will personally make sure you are expelled. Good day to you."

They left the building but stopped on the front steps.

"Right, here's what we've got to do," Harry whispered. "One of us has got to keep an eye on Snape - wait outside the staff room and follow him if he leaves it. Hermione, you'd better do that."

"Why me?"

Nico sighed and looked down at his shoes. He scrubbed at the concrete as he listened to their plan. As they went off to do it, he melted into the shadows and went to scope out the area around Fluffy.

Nothing happened and he eventually went to dinner. The three wizards still looked as nervous as ever, showing that their plan earlier hadn't worked.

"Dominic," Nico whispered. "They still think Snape's going to steal the stone. And they plan on going there tonight."

Dominic looked up from his food. "Damn. Can I come with you?"

"Huh?"

"You're going to go after them," Dominic explained. "It's probably that demigod in you or something. And I want to come."

Nico sighed. "Fine. But you have to listen to me if I tell you to do something."

Dominic nodded in agreement before eating again. Nico reluctantly joined him, the food causing his nausea to grow.

"Who do you think it is?" Dominic asked. "You said you don't believe it's Snape."

Nico played with his fork. "I'm not sure. But I think..." He trailed off at the thought before laying his fork down. "I think whoever it is, they're trying to find it for...for Voldemort."

Dominic paled. "You're serious?"

Nico nodded. "Unfortunately."

"Wait, wait." Dominic turned to face him. "He's back?"

Nico put a finger to his lips. "Be quiet, but yes. Hecate said so and she basically made the wizarding world. It's...it's more serious than just a stupid stone. So are you sure you want to come tonight?"

Dominic's hands shook. "There's a reason I'm not in Gryffindor, Nico."

Nico nodded in acceptance. "I know what you mean. If I didn't have to, I wouldn't."

"Just be careful." Dominic ran a hand through his hair. "I've got a bad feeling about it. Like...like it's more about Voldemort than you think."

Nico made a face at the thought. "You said you get called psychic a lot, didn't you?"

Dominic nodded. "A 'fucking psychic', actually."

Nico groaned. "Great."


	32. Chapter 31

After the Gryffindor common room had cleared out and they hexed Nevile, Nico led them to a corner before grabbing their hands. "This will be fast but you might be a little delirious when we land."

Hermoine looked curious. "A demigod power?"

Nico nodded. "Just don't let go of me until we get there."

After making sure all three of them understood that fact, Nico shadow traveled them to the room that held Fluffy. The dog was asleep, a harp at his feet.

"Well, there you are," Harry said quietly, "Snape's already got past Fluffy. If you want to go back, I won't blame you. You can take the cloak, I won't need it now."

"Don't be stupid," Ron inputted.

"We're coming," Hermoine agreed, before looking to Nico expectantly.

"Yeah, you have no hope of losing me." Nico gestured to the harp. "Let's go before that thing stops playing."

Just as he said it, the harm grew silent and the dog woke up. Harry quickly put Hagrid's flute to his mouth and started to play, causing the dog to fall back asleep.

"Want to go first, Hermione?" Ron asked.

"No, I don't!"

"All right." Ron stepped over the dog's legs and pulled the trap door open.

"What can you see?" Hermione said anxiously.

"Nothing - just black - there's no way of climbing down, we'll just have to drop."

Nico ignored that Harry was pointing to himself and went to join his brother. "I'll go down first. Harry seems to want to go after me. Hermoine can take over the flute for him."

"You're sure?" Ron asked, looking his brother over.

Nico nodded. He looked down the trap door, saw shadows that still answered to him. In a minute, he jumped. He fell as he did down Tartarus. As the shadows grew further away and stopped listening, he felt the panic filter through his veins.

He landed on a plant. Before he knew it, Harry was beside him.

"It's okay!" Harry called up. "It's a soft landing, you can jump!"

Ron jumped in next. It was only his presence that stopped Nico from having a full blown panic attack.

"What's this stuff?" he asked,

"Dunno, some sort of plant thing. I suppose it's here to break the fall. Come on, Hermione!" Harry called.

Hermoine soon landed next to them. The music that grounded them up to Hogwarts stopped. "We must be miles under the school."

"Lucky this plant thing's here, really," said Ron.

"Lucky!" shrieked Hermione. "Look at you both!"

She got to a free wall but the three boys were being strapped down by the plant. Nico could feel it around his waist, could feel Demeter's power not in it though it should be. Instead of godly power, the room was full of raw magic.

"Stop moving!" Hermione ordered them. "I know what this is - it's Devil's Snare!"

Devil. How ironic.

"Are you going to tell us what that is?" he snapped.

"Shut up, I'm trying to remember how to kill it!" Hermoine yelled.

"Well, hurry up, I can't breathe!" Harry gasped.

"Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare... what did Professor Sprout say? - it likes the dark and the damp..."

"Will!" Panic had fully grasped onto Nico. "Light! Apollo! Damn it!"

"Oh, right!" Hermoine took out her wand and sent flames at the plant. The plant slithered away, letting the three boys break free. Nico fell by the wall in a sigh of relief, though the shadows got no better.

"Lucky you pay attention in Herbology, Hermione" Harry joined Hermoine by the wall.

"Yeah," said Ron, "and lucky Harry doesn't lose his head in a crisis." He looked down to Nico. "Hey, are you okay?"

Nico waved a pale hand to the passageway ahead as he got his breathing under control. "That way." He grabbed Ron's arm and hauled himself to his feet before leading them ahead.

"Can you hear something?" Ron whispered. "Do you think it's a ghost?"

"Not a ghost," Nico confirmed.

"Sounds like wings to me," Harry commented.

Nico squinted at the light ahead. "It's something moving."

They got to the room to see the small winged objects flying overhead. Nico didn't have to look twice to see what they really were.

"Do you think they'll attack us if we cross the room?" Ron asked.

"Most definitely." Nico replied.

"They don't look very vicious, but I suppose if they all swooped down at once... well, there's no other choice... I'll run." Harry decided.

"Don't-" Nico sighed as Harry took off. "You idiot."

Harry sprinted for the door with his arms over his face, but no keys took flight towards him. He tried the door to find it locked.

"Now what?" Ron asked.

Nico crossed his arms. "Keys. They're flying overhead."

The other three looked up. "Winged keys!" Harry exclaimed. "So that must mean..." he looked around the chamber. "... yes - look! Broomsticks! We've got to catch the key to the door!"

Ron looked at the lock. "We're looking for a big, old-fashioned one - probably silver, like the handle."

Nico let them run off to the broomsticks, staying safely on the ground as he watched them. He tried to move the shadows, tried to find the comfort of home. It was gone. He was alone without them, alone and scared. The smell of Tartarus seemed to float through the air.

"That one!" Harry finally called to the others. "That big one - there - no, there- with bright blue wings - the feathers are all crumpled on one side."

His exclamation sent Ron speeding off and crashing into the wall. Nico took a second before catching his brother. "Damn, Ronald."

"Shut up." Ron pulled himself from Nico's arms.

Harry and Hermoine soon landed, the key clamped tightly in Harry's fist. Nico watched as he used it on the door, all of them sighing in relief when it swung open.

The next room was what looked to be a chessboard. Ron and Nico glanced at each other, thought about all the games they had played. None seemed this somber.

"Now what do we do?" Harry whispered.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Ron asked. "We've got to play our way across the room."

"How?" said Hermione nervously.

"I think," said Ron, "we're going to have to be chessmen."

Nico watched his brother walk up to some of the chessmen. The room seemed to be closing in around him. Beneath his feet, he could smell the ruins of Gaea's kingdom. Unlike the Labrinth, nothing of Pan's was in sight. The old god died before ever being able to touch this place.

He followed orders, tried to pay attention, couldn't do anything but flashback to a place he so desperately wanted to forget.

It was only when Ron got knocked out did Nico's attention snap back to reality. Once the game was won, he took off towards him brother. "Ron!" Before he could look back, Hermoine and Harry were through the other door. "Damn it!"


	33. Chapter 32

Nico had never felt pure failure before. He had gotten captured in Tartarus, yes, but he had been the first to make it out alive. He may have fallen into that pit, but he had found the Doors of Death. Now, all he had done had been let Harry go and possibly face Voldemort alone.

He went against his quest, went against his goal. He went against everything he was there for because of a second of panic, a second of feeling that his brother was in trouble.

He had failed.

It was after everything went down did he go to Dumbledore's office, knowing he could only do one other thing, so he had to do it right. As if he was waiting for him, Dumbledore sat as his desk with the stone placed in front of him.

"I was wondering when I'd see you, Mr. Weasley." His eyes twinkled. "I think I know what you're here for."

"My father...er, my biological father, he can destroy it. _Properly._ May I take it to him?"

Dumbledore stood up. "I've already talked to my friend, Mr. Flamel. We both believe that is best."

"He knows he'll die?"

"He knows as much as you do that you can't hold off death forever, son of Hades."

Nico cocked his head to the side. "Does he know about the punishment he'll face? He cheated death, just not as formally as Sisyphus."

Dumbledore wrapped the stone before holding it out. "Even you don't know some things, Mr. Weasley. Death may not be able to be stopped, but other things aren't so inevitable."

Nico hesitated before taking the stone. "What do you want me to do?"

Dumbledore didnt answer, but his eyes twinkled some more.

It was an hour later when Nico arrived in the Underworld before his father's throne. It was the first time he stepped foot in the vast land since Hecate had robbed him of many demigod years, but he felt back at home in the shadows that answered. They surrounded the palace of Hades and surrounded their young prince.

"I thought you'd want it." Nico bowed his head before holding the stone out. "Thought you'd want to destroy it."

Hades snapped his fingers and the stone disappeared in a breeze of smoke. He looked down at his son, eyed him with curiosity. "Hecate was right. You're different."

Nico clenched his jaw. "Can I ask you something, sir?"

Hades rested his head on his hand. "I don't see why not."

"I've gotten all my memories back," Nico drawled. "I even remember Hecate coming to me with the plan. I just...I can't reason why I accepted."

Hades raised an eyebrow. "Is it that hard to reason? You wanted to help people. You always have."

"Not if I would lose Will in the process." Nico replied bitterly.

"I'm not sure about that, Nico."

Nico spent some time in the Underworld after that. He visited those he knew in Elysium, played with Cerberus for some time, went to the trial of Flamel and his wife. With some words and pleading, Nico saved them from an eternity of punishment and got them to the Fields of Asphodel. After watching the shades for an hour, however, Nico wasn't sure which was better.

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay?" Nico looked Ron over as they walked to the hospital wimg to check on Harry.

"Blimey, mate, I'm fine." Ron assured. "Just don't tell mum and I'll be great."

"You and me both."

They walked into the room as Dumbledore walked out. Nico and the older man shared a nod of understanding.

"What was that about?" Ron asked.

"Nothing." Nico smiled when he saw that Harry was awake. "I did him a favor."

"Oh Harry, we were sure you were going to- Dumbledore was so worried-" Hermoine started.

"The whole school's talking about it," Ron injected. "What really happened?"

Harry told the whole story about Quirrel and Voldemort, fueling Nico's feelings of failure as he thought about everything Harry had to go through alone. He was only eleven, the age Nico had been when he had been wandering that maze alone.

"So the stone's gone?" Ron asked. "Flamel's just going to die?"

"He already did." Nico said softly. "Him and his wife."

The three wizards looked to Nico. "How did you know that?" Ron asked.

Nico raised an eyebrow. "Did you forget who I am? I went and visited his soul at his judgement."

"So _that's_ where you went." Ron shook his head in exasperation. "That's mad, Nico."

Nico shrugged. "Normal for me."

Ron rolled his eyes before looking to Harry. "Listen, you've got to be up for the end-of-year feast tomorrow. The points are all in and Slytherin won, of course- you missed the last Quidditch match, we were steamrolled by Ravenclaw without you- but the food'll be good-"

Nico elbowed him in the ribs. "Way to make him feel bad."

Before Ron could respond, the nurse came to kick them out. She moved a hand to Nico's shoulder before gasping. "Get into a bed, you can stay. Dumbledore may have told me who you are but that's too much darkness in you. Lay down, now. The rest of you, OUT!"

Nico sighed before sitting on one of the beds. "Looks like we're roommates, Harry."

Harry looked over when Ron and Hermione had left the room. "What did she mean you have darkness in you?"

Nico cringed at the potion the nurse brought over, remembering it from his childhood. "It's a side effect from my dad down under. My body wants to melt into the shadows." He downed the potion. "Disgusting. Mom used to make me drink it all the time."

Harry laid back as some of Nico's American accent came to life. As the nurse walked out, his voice grew serious. "Do you really think Voldemort is going to come back? Fully, I mean."

Nico stared at the white ceiling. "Yeah, I think so." He blocked out what Rachel had seen. "We just have to fight, Harry. You've got me."

"Would you be able to defeat him?"

Nico thought back to what he had heard many times. He was there to defend Harry, not beat Voldemort. "Probably. Don't worry about it." _Worry. You should be worried, Harry. You should be terrified._

 _Because Voldemort's back, and I can't defeat him. It's up to you._


	34. Chapter 33

The night passed by in a blur. Nico slept beneath the thin blanket, got through eight hours without a nightmare. When the morning came he felt more rested than he had before.

"Nico can't come?" Harry asked. "He seems just fine to me."

"It's the darkness inside me." Nico explained, making a face at the potion in his hands. "Mom's gonna have me chained to my bed when I get home."

"Oh...well, is there anything I can do?"

Nico downed the potion before shaking his head. "Nah, I'm good. Just tell Dominic where I am and keep an eye on Ron for me..." He sighed at the door. "Nevermind about the first part."

Dominic walked over to Nico's bed. "What did you do?"

Nico rolled his eyes as Harry made a hasty exit. "I'm stuck drinking light potions until I go home."

"And you need them why...? " Dominic asked. "Your dad down under or...?"

Nico nodded. "All that darkness builds up. After the last war, Will kept me in the infirmary for days because of it. I almost melted into the shadows."

"But you were just going to keep going about your business if no one said anything." Dominic shook his head. "You need to stop looking for your own death."

"And you need to stop reading those books on Divination." Nico replied. "We both have problems, I get it. But you're going to be late for the feast."

"I'm not going." Dominic sat on the bed Harry had once occupied. "Guess who I saw."

"Who?"

"Allyson." Dominic didn't seem as happy about the name as he used to be. "Back at her stupid table."

"The Ravenclaw table isn't stupid..."

"Yeah, well, she is." Dominic clenched his fists. "And no one else seems to realize she was gone."

Nico slowly turned to Dominic. "What do you mean?"

"No one looks at her any different." he frowned. "Kind of creepy, if you ask me. I asked Ron and he remembers her being here the entire time."

"Ron isn't one to go to for that," Nico admitted.

"Hermoine said the same."

Nico felt his brain spark before settling into discomfort. "The Mist...she used the Mist. So she _is_ a demigod. She's probably the one that told camp on me."

"Uh, Nico? You lost me."

"The Mist," Nico explained. "It's used in the Greek world. Like if we fight a monster in public, mortals will see something understandable. It's to protect their mind. Some people can use it to their own needs. Allyson is probably able to. It makes her look like she's been at school when she's been who knows where. It's to stop everyone from raising questions."

"Where do you think she was?" Dominic asked.

Nico shrugged. "Probably something demigod."

"Wait," Dominic brought his knees to his chest. "So can all demigods or something see through it? Cause you aren't tricked."

"Some mortals can, too. Some demigods can't." Nico gestured to Dominic. "Like you can see through it. Or you're just too obsessed with her."

Dominic shrugged. "So you can, though?"

Nico nodded. "Ever since before the last war. I was working on it because I thought it could give me an advantage." He thought back to Tartarus, thought back to exactly how that place looked when the Mist wasn't there to cover it up. "That didn't work how I expected."

Dominic cleared his throat as Nico's voice took on the sensitivity bad memories brought. "Should we do anything about it? Allyson, I mean."

Nico shook his head. "Let her do what she wants. I don't care."

Dominic scratched the back of his head. "I still like her."

"I know you do."

* * *

The train back to London was full of somber happiness as friends spent one last day with each other. Nico sat between Ron and Dominic, reading through his exam grades that had been passed out at the feast.

"Passed." Dominic threw his to the floor. "Barely."

"What about you, Nico?" Ron asked as he ate through the treats Nico had bought.

"I passed..." Nico eyed the paper in shock. "A lot."

"What does that mean?"

"Unlike you, Ronald, he passed almost without a mistake." Hermoine cut in, taking Nico's paper. "At potions, too."

Nico shrugged sheepishly. "I didn't mean to."

"Didn't mean to?! That makes it worse!" Ron protested. "Now mum will be wondering why I didn't just pass, but excel like Nico here-"

"Fuck." Nico went pale at a sudden thought. "Ron..."

"What?"

"How are we going to tell her?" Nico asked. "About me being a demigod."

"We won't," Ron offered. "Just keep it hidden for now. She'll go ballistic."

"Ron, she's your mother..." Hermione started.

"He's right, though." Nico admitted. "We shouldn't tell. Not yet."

"When are you going to?" Hermione asked. "That's a big thing, you two."

Nico and Ron glanced at each other before looking away, leaving the question unanswered.

"Ron! Nico!" Hermoine looked to Harry. "They aren't ever going to tell her."

"It's _their_ mum." Harry mumbled.

"See? Smart man." Ron went back to his candy.

Nico couldn't help but smile as he looked to Dominic. "Is your mom picking you up?"

Dominic nodded before making a face. "Unfortunately. She's still freaked out by this stuff."

"Really?" Hermione leaned forward. "My parents...I'm not sure. They were shocked, that's for sure. But they were proud of me, too."

Dominic shrugged. "Must be a good feeling."

Nico elbowed him roughly. "Stop being so hard on yourself. She's still freaked out."

"Freaked out? She's had a freakier life than me."

"How so?" Hermoine asked, on her lips fifty other questions.

"You really want to know?" Dominic snorted as he began the story of his mother and his birth before she even met his "father". "My real father is probably where I get the magic."

Hermione nodded in agreement with the assumption. "Most definitely."

The train ride continued on until they were finally at Kings Cross. As soon as they were out of Platform 9 and three-quarters, Dominic bounded away to a woman with hair as dark as her expression.

"You must come and stay this summer." Ron looked to Harry and Hermione. "Both of you. I'll send an owl."

"Thanks," said Harry, "I'll need something to look forward to."

Nico had started to relax but then heard Ginny's high pitched voice. "There he is, Mum, there he is, look! Harry Potter!" she squealed. "Look, Mom! I can see-"

"Be quiet, Ginny, and it's rude to point." Mrs. Weasley cut in. She smiled at them. "Busy year?"

"Very," Harry admitted. "Thanks for the fudge and the sweater, Mrs. Weasley."

"Oh, it was nothing, dear."

Harry was soon gone with his family, leaving Mrs. Weasley to look Nico and Ron over. "What are you two hiding?"

"Huh?" Nico froze at the confrontation. "Nothing!"

"Nico..."

"He was in the hospital wing!" Ron pipped up. "Having those potions you give him! "

Nico swirled around to face Ron. "Hey!"

"No fighting." The woman that Nico could now fully call his mother took him by the shoulder. "Let's get you two home and we'll see exactly how bad it is."

Nico groaned as they followed her. "I hate you, Ron."

Ron followed with a smirk. "You were in for it."

* * *

 **AN: thank you all for reading! Next book will be up soon**


	35. Books

Book One: Young And Old, Back and Bold (complete)

Summary: Nico is de-aged and sent back in time, becoming part of the wizarding world while he's still young. Will Hecate's plan work despite his lack of memories? For the sake of this story, Percy Jackson takes place during the same timeframe that Harry Potter does (canon pairings)

* * *

Book Two: Old and Young, Inside Out (complete)

Summary: Sequel to Young and Old, Back and Bold. Nico's second year of school begins with some demands from the demigod world. (canon pairings)

* * *

Book Three: Lives Collide, Harm(fully)(lessly) (complete)

Summary: sequel to Old and Young, Inside Out. Nico is starting his third year at Hogwarts, but Voldemort is no longer the only threat to his peace. (Canon pairings)

* * *

Book Four: Worlds Collide Harm(fully)(lessly) (in progress)

Summary: sequel to Lives Collide Harm(fully)(lessly). Will and Annabeth are finally putting their plan into action to peacefully coexist with the wizards.


End file.
